RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse
by Reticent Phoenix
Summary: Team RWBY and other members of the cast are made to watch the events and lives of not just others living throughout the Multiverse, but the lives of alternate versions of themselves. First Fic. (NO LONGER TAKING READER REQUESTS)
1. Welcome to the Repository

**Chapter 1 – Introductory**

 **Author's Note: After reading fanfics for a good long while, and debating whether or not I too should start writing fanfics, here we are. My first fanfiction. *Applause sound***

 **Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

It had been a simple day for team RWBY and friends. It was a Saturday, and they had all planned to spend it in the most best ways they thought possible.

Ruby had planned to drag Weiss to Vale in a 'Best Friends Forever Fun Day', where they'd do what all best friends did. Eat cookies and read the latest weapon magazines. Weiss had planned to avoid Ruby and study hard. Blake planned to stay in the library to privately enjoy her 'artistic adult literature'. While Yang was sleeping in and intended to go clubbing at night.

That had been their plans, but, with a loud _pop_ , they vanished in a blink of an eye and found themselves sat on a couch and facing a large TV screen, in a large room similar to the Student Common Room back at Beacon. Alongside them were a few extra couches and chairs.

Confused, the four young Huntresses-in-Training looked around frantically. Trying to make sense of how they ended up where they were currently.

"Wh-What's going on? Where are we?" The red-hooded, and short, leader of team RWBY, Ruby Rose exclaimed. Her head zipping around as she tried to make sense of how she suddenly turned up here, when, seconds ago, she was pleading to Weiss to come along on their 'Best Friends Forever Fun Day'.

Speaking of the white-haired heiress. Weiss was beside her 'best friend', and was equally as confused as Ruby. "What in the-? How did we get here?"

The B of team RWBY, Blake Belladonna, was silent and was looking around cautiously. Underneath her bow, her cat-ears were standing at their tallest, her eyes focused, and her face remained calm and collected despite their current situation.

Ruby's sister, the Y of RWBY, Yang Xiao Long, was more surprised than her teammates. She had been sleeping peacefully, dreaming of fighting Grimm, riding her motorcycle, and wrecking Junior's club all over again when she was suddenly transported to the room. Drowsily, and still in her pyjamas, Yang rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Is it 1pm already? Ah, it was just getting to the good par..." Yang began to trail off as she took stock of where they were. "Um, guys. Where are we?"

Before anyone could attempt to answer that question, a chorus of _pops_ sounded followed by a few familiar faces.

On the couch to team RWBY's right, team JNPR fell bottom-first onto the sofa. Jaune was wearing his typical combat attire, with the exception of his armour. Nora was also in hers, and in the midst of devouring her tenth breakfast pancake. Pyrrha was out of her usual combat attire and wore a red turtle neck that hugged her figure and blue jeans 'coincidently' like Jaune's. Ren, to his great misfortune, had just finished taking a shower and only wore a towel around his waist.

To team RWBY's left, their friends in team CFVY fell onto the couch besides them. Coco Adel, the team's leader, was dressed in her usual fashionable attire. Her teammates were also in their usual combat attire, but, with them fell several bags filled with many articles of clothing.

Falling onto a smaller couch beside JNPR were the monkey faunus, Sun Wukong, and his blue-haired teammate and friend, Neptune Vasillias, curiously, they both wore detective badges and had fake moustaches on their faces.

In chairs behind the three teams plus two, their teachers, Headmaster Ozpin, and Professors Glynda Goodwitch, Peter Port and Bartholemew Ooblek fell and landed. Ozpin wore his usual clothes, and had his cane and coffee mug in hand. Some coffee spilt from his mug and fell on a rather... unfortunate place. Goodwitch was wearing the clothes she usually wore in class. Oobleck was normal enough, well, as normal as he could be. While Port was laughing heartily, most likely at one of his own jests.

Alongside the teachers, General Ironwood, Winter Schnee, Qrow Branwen, and Taiyang Xiao Long suddenly appeared.

As everyone recovered and gathered their bearings after their suddenly and wholly unexpected arrival. They began to realise just who was also in the room with them.

"Jaune?!" Ruby squealed, shocked to see her first friend in Beacon arrive. Though, upon seeing the adorable bunny on the front of his hoodie, she had to try to contain her laughter. The blonde-haired boy was just as shocked as his first friend in Beacon as well. "Ruby?!"

"Sun?" Blake said, genuine surprise in her usually quiet, soft voice upon seeing the monkey faunus.

"Dad? Uncle Qrow?!" Yang yelled in surprise upon seeing the two older men.

"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed, half in shock and joy of seeing her older sister.

"Weiss!" The older Schnee sibling gasped upon the sight of her younger sister.

"Oz? Glynda?" Ironwood breathed, flabbergasted as he laid eyes on his close friend and the object of his unrequited affections. The three had been part of a video-call, so suddenly seeing them in person was quite the shocker.

"NORA!" The ginger-haired ball of excitement and seemingly unending hyperactivity randomly added to the mix.

One of the doors leading to the room creaked open, and from it. A figure wearing pitch black hooded robes, and a blank, emotionless white mask over their face, walked in. Golden eyes peering from the shadows of the mask's circular eyeholes.

"You're all here? I was hoping I'd get here before you, but alas." The masked figure said in a low, soft-spoken voice with a sigh. Everyone turned to him, from his words alone, it appeared that he was the one responsible for their being here.

"Who are you?" Ironwood demanded of the masked man as he walked past the assembled group. The Altesian general reached into his coat in search of his hand cannon, but found it was missing. In fact, the entire group found that they were unarmed.

"Your weapons will not be necessary. And will be returned to your person when needed." The man calmly informed the assemblage of characters. When a few of them tried to use their Semblances on him, they found they had no affect.

Glynda's telekinesis did not move him. No glyphs from either of the Schnees manifested. Nothing.

The masked man stopped before the large TV screen and bowed deeply with a flourish of his arms and said. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Please forgive the _abruptness_ of your arrival, but I saw this as the quickest way to get you all here together. I could have _invited_ you, but something tells me you wouldn't have accepted what I would have offered you if I just asked."

"And what is it you would have offered us?" Ozpin cautiously asked the masked man.

"It will most probably be harmless. And quite frankly, it benefits mostly me, though, you _may_ get something out of this. _If_ you pay attention to certain details." The mask man said. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I am Alaric, Keeper of this Repository. In here is recorded the events past, present, and the ever shifting future of the Multiverse. I have brought you all here to witness certain events from across the countless universes."

Everyone remained silent at the explanation 'Alaric'' had given them.

"Is this a joke?" Qrow asked, expressing the skepticism that everyone else had for his words.

"How so?" Alaric replied, tilting his head to the side. A small measure of annoyance in his voice.

"I mean, you abduct us, tell that we're in some sort of... universe library. And that we're supposed to watch some random schmucks antics on a big TV?" Qrow scoffed. Everyone, even Ironwood and Winter, couldn't help but agree with him. As hard as that fact was for them to swallow.

Now, it was Alaric's turn to be silent. He hummed contemplatively, thumbing the chin of his mask, his eyes possessing a distant look. Everyone remained on guard in case he tried anything. Suddenly, Alaric perked his head up and looking directly at Qrow.

"Maybe I did not add the proper insentive." Suddenly, Qrow found a crystal shot glass in his right hand with two bottles full of alcoholic liquid levitating in front of him. "Scotch or whiskey? I can refill your glass as often as you so desire. That is, if you agree with my offer."

"First you kidnap us. Now you're trying to bribe us?" Weiss remarked scornfully. "Well, we won't-RUBY!"

Looking towards the red-hooded girl, Ruby was currently devouring a neverending plateful of cookies from a plate that just materialied onto her lap at a disturbingly fast. Nora was in no better state. She was in the middle of scarfing down a stack of thirty large pancakes absolutely covered in syrup. Ozpin found that his coffee mug had been refilled, and his trousers dried. Blake tried to look away from the Tekkadon, a Mistrali rice dish topped with thin pieces of raw tuna, that appeared before her. A plate of croissants, small cakes, and tea materialised before Weiss and Winter. Jaune stared at the cheeseburger and chips in front of him, his stomach growling noisily. While Velvet sniffed shyly at a bowl of cut up carrots.

Everyone found various delicacies and drinks before them, and could only stare in wonder at the sudden appearance of the food.

Noticing Ren's state of undress, Alaric chuckled lightly, and in an instant. The black-haired boy was in his combat uniform. The same went for Yang and Pyrrha. Though Pyrrha seemed a bit miffed at her change of attire for _no_ discernible reason whatsoever. Definitely not because her clothes were meant to attract a certain someone.

"How-?" Glynda breathed. Feeling a mixture of amazement, confusion and disbelief at what she saw.

Alaric placed a hand over his heart and said. "As Keeper of this Repository, you will find I have considerable command over what is possible within this realm. In fact, I modelled this viewing room after your academy's Student Common Room so to make you fell more comfortable. And did I forget to mention, but, I am your only way back to your own universe?"

"Why is it you are doing this, Mr Alaric?" Ozpin asked, keeping a calm, straight face despite the suddenness of it all, and having hot coffee fall on his crotch earlier. Alaric simply shrugged and casually replied.

"Honestly. I was bored. So I thought I'd give this a go and see where it went."

Dead silence again, apart from the munching sound of cookies and pancakes being swiftly devoured.

"Seriously?" Coco questioned Alaric, lowering her sunglasses and giving him a questioning look. Others also looked at him with a deadpan face.

"Yes, seriously. As entertaining as it is, one can tire of recording and watching the multiverse all by their lonesome." He returned. "Your presence, and your reactions may prove most amusing."

"You're doing this because your lonely?" Ruby breathed, sympathy in her voice. "Don't you have someone to help you?"

"I have scores of automatons to do all the heavy lifting, but I am the sole Keeper here. Unless two Keepers are proven to be highly compatible and will not pose a risk to the agenda of the Repositories, the role of Keeper will ultimately be a solitary post. Incidentally, no other Keeper has thus far proved compatible with me."

Alaric's words drew pity from the large group, but also sparked more embers of curiosity.

"'We'?" Blake repeated. "There are others like you?"

"Why of course. Do you really think that such a grand task can be performed alone? The multiverse is constantly expanding, and requires multitudes of Repositories to keep track of them all. Even then, more universes are born faster than we can record them." Alaric walked past RWBY and JNPR's couches and sat on the last vacant chair amongst the teachers and produced a TV remote from within the folds of his robes.

"Wait. You said this place is a library of universes. Right?" This time it was Sun who asked a question, a cola in his hand and sharing a large bucket of popcorn with Neptune, excitement in his voice. Alaric nodded in response. "So, what kind of stuff will we be watching?"

Underneath his mask, Alaric smiled and simply said. "Allow me to show you."

With that, he pressed a button on the remote and the blank screen of the TV flickered to life.

* * *

 **Well, there we go. First chapter of my first fanfic. So, I got a few ideas for the universes that RWBY and Friends will react to, but, I'd like to hear your ideas. Alongside stuff like movies, games, trailers, I plan to add parts from fanfics I plan to publish here as well. Criticism is appreciated in the reviews.**

 **Up Next: For Honor – Warlords and Cowards**


	2. For Honor: Warlords and Cowards

**Author's Note:**

 **Right, first things first, my thanks to all those who chose to favourite and follow this story. I really appreciate it. I also must express my thanks to those who made requests. You can put requests ideas in the reviews or PM me, but, I must make it clear that this fic will** _ **not**_ **be Jaune-centric.**

 **I am well aware of that there are more than a few Jaune-centric fanfics out there, and how easy it can be to have him as the main character in all the universes with a male protagonist or main antagonist. And how fun it is to get that doofus in all sorts of situations, but that's how I intend things to be.**

 **Also, I intend to include episodes of TV programs and webisodes to the collection of things the group will watch, for example, Red vs Blue, and Rick and Morty. Maybe add in a couple songs, Youtube videos, and a few one-shots.**

 **Mandatory disclaimer:**

 **RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth. For Honor is Ubisoft's. All Original Characters are mine.**

 **Well, if your bodies are not yet ready. Get ready.**

* * *

 **For Honor Part 1**

The large TV screen remained pitch black. Making the group of viewers wonder whether or not Alaric had done something, or if the TV actually worked. Their speculation ceased when a voice came from the TV's speakers.

" _ **That day. I learnt I was serving the wrong warlord."**_ **A low, smooth voice spoke.**

That piqued the interest of plenty of the viewers. From the speaker's words alone, they inferred that whoever was speaking was some sort of warrior, if that remark of a warlord was anything to go by. However, those who were familiar with a certain blonde noodle, the voice had a sense of familiarity to it.

"Does whoever's talking sound... familiar, somehow?" Blake whispered as she leaned over to Yang. Who shrugged as she was drinking a Strawberry Sunrise.

" _ **Jacque Schnee."**_ **The narrator continued.**

This caused the eyes of many in the audience to widen in shock. In the case of the two Schnee sisters, their mouths were agape.

 **The black screen quickly faded to reveal a man wearing chainmail covered in metal plates, and wearing bronze-painted armour over his arms, knees, lower legs. Accompanied by a great helm flanked by bronze wings at its sides. He wore a sleeveless tabard coloured white and grey. On his back was the symbol of the Schnee family. In his left hand was a two-handed longsword, which he carried with ease.**

 **Rushing through a door, the man looked up and watched as a rock was flung over the battlements he stood upon and landed behind his fortress's walls with a great crash. Looking down from the battlements and onto a courtyard where several armed and armoured people in the same colours as himself running about.**

" **Defend the walls!" The man cried.**

The armoured man's voice proved that he was indeed Jacque Schnee, CEO of the Schnee Dust Company.

"Father?" Weiss and Winter simultaneously said aloud. Dumbstruck at seeing the Schnee patriarch dressed like a medieval knight.

Ironwood was silent, but, his brow furrowed at this revelation. He was forced to meet Jacque on several occasions, due to how the man was one of the most powerful men in not just Atlas, but on the face of Remnant. The two of them did not have the best working relationship.

Qrow raised the middle-finger of his left hand and aimed it at the armoured Jacque on screen. Taiyang, Yang, and Ruby crying out his name as he did so.

Winter turned to Alaric, her mind trying to comprehend what was going on. Before Winter could utter a word, Alaric put an index finger over where his mouth and pointed towards the TV.

" _ **The day I met the Blackstone Legion."**_ **The voice spoke some more. As the Jacque on screen ran up to the wall and looked to the outside of his fortress, the camera followed him and saw scores of warriors in black and orange marching down the dirt path to the fortress.**

"Interesting. It appears the setting of this universe, if indeed it is, is set in the time period prior to the Great War. However, this fortress does not appear to be one of the few currently surviving structures from Remnant's Medieval Era." Doctor Oobleck spoke in such superfast speeds that hardly anyone could keep track before taking a swig from a regular thermos filled with God knows what kind of coffee he drank.

"It's a siege." Neptune muttered as he swallowed a mouthful of popcorn., before turning to Weiss. "But, why are they attacking your dad?"

Weiss, and Winter, remained silent. Both still trying to get to grips with see a version of their father on the TV screen.

" _ **And James Ironwood."**_ **The screen showed a man in full plate armour and wielding a tall poleaxe walking up towards the fortress.**

 **As the camera looked to his face, it revealed the same face born by the Altesian General, though he had a noticeable stubble and was practically bald.**

" **Come out! Jacque! It doesn't have to be like this!" The Ironwood on screen shouted, his voice gruffer than the one sat watching the entire affair.**

That shocked not just Ironwood, but Winter, Glynda, Qrow and Ozpin.

"I'm some sort of knight in this universe?" Ironwood questioned Alaric. He was as dumbstruck as the Schnne sisters when they saw their father. Though he, and a few others, had to admit that he actually looked kinda good with a stubble.

"Not just that. In this universe, you are an enforcer of the law of the land. A Lawbringer. And second-in-command to one of the most powerful legions of Knights in this world. Jacque is a deserter from your legion and a thief." Alaric explained.

 **An arrow strikes a soldier beside Jacque, causing him to fall limply onto the walls parapet. Jacque quickly checked on the soldier's corpse before casting him aside and looking to another poleaxe wielding warrior.**

" **Keep them off the wall!" He commanded as he retreated away.**

 **Cut again to Ironwood, a knight, attired similarly to Jacque, except in the colours of the Blackstone Legion, his armour was painted black, and his visored helm had the lower half of a skull painted on it.**

" **My lord..." The knight said to Ironwood as he handed the man his helmet.**

" **Break it down." Ironwood growled a command at him. The knight turned at relayed his orders to the rest of their army. A battering ram rolled onto the screen.**

 **In the background, a ladder, with two knights climbing up it was pushed from the wall. Sending the ladder and the knights falling with a crash.**

"Oooh. Sucks to be those guys." Coco remarked, as she took a sip of hot chocolate. Nothing too interesting had happened that truly peaked her interest, but she decided to watch it all the same.

 **The screen cut to another knight, armed and armoured like Jacque and the one who spoke to Ironwood run to the wall and duck as a rock hit the wall. They wore the white and grey colours on his tabard and parts of his armour as Jacque and the other soldiers defending the fortress. Interestingly, on the part of the tabard on his back, two yellow crescent moon-like arches were at the centre.**

" _ **But I am Jaune Arc, a Warden, and I had a job to do."**_ **The narrator spoke once again.**

" **I need to get moving." The knight onscreen said to himself with the same voice as the narrator's. His voice somewhat muffled by the helm he wore.**

That garnered quite a reaction from those who knew the blonde knight. Team RWBY looked at Jaune with surprised looks on their faces. None more so than Weiss, who had the additional problem of seeing Jaune as a strong real knight, alongside her father being on screen. Ren's eyebrows raised in intrigue. Nora had an wide smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Now that they all thought about it, the narrator's voice _was_ Jaune's. Though, it was more mature, lower, and, dare I write, sexier in the ears of a few of the female audience members.

For Pyrrha, she was immediately captivated by what she was watching. Realising the speaker on the was probably an older Jaune from another universe, she began to wonder what her Jaune would become. Would his voice become as low and sexy as this one? And would his training as a Huntsman help him develop the strong figure that this Jaune had?

If so, she liked her future prospects and determined to train Jaune to become like his counterpart on screen.

 **Jaune the Warden proceeded to run into one a tower that connected to the east wall. Jacque Schnee commanding the defences from atop it. Descending down a small flight of stairs Jaune comes across two Blackstone Captains wearing plate armour over chainmail and great helms on their heads. One threw an unfortunate soldier into the courtyard below, while another climbed onto the wall via a ladder. Seeing Jaune, the two Captains turned to face the Warden.**

" **Incoming!" A voice shouted in alarm. Not a moment later, a catapulted rock struck the wall behind the Captains, the force of the impact causing all three of them to lose balance and fall to the ground. Jaune the Warden quickly got back onto his feet and faced his opponents. Both of the captains recovered, but an archer from the tower above shot the one to the left in his throat, and with a gurgled grunt, the captain's body fell.**

 **It was now Jaune and this one captain now.**

 **The captain swung his long sword in a wide diagonal swing from over his left shoulder. Jaune, his right hand on his sword's grip and his left on its blade, parried the captain's attack. Turning his foe's blade to the side, Warden Jaune thrust his longsword into the captain's chest with enough force that it pierced through his metal cuirass, and pushed the sword until the crossguard was touching his chest.**

 **The captain let out a gurgled choke before Jaune quickly, and coldly, removed the blade from the captain and kicked him away, and continued on his way.**

Seeing this, most of the watchers were intrigued and also shocked by what they saw. Alaric had not forewarned them that what they would be watching would be bloody. The death of the first captain was shocking enough, but the one Warden Jaune killed was even more so.

Yang, Taiyang and Qrow covered Ruby's eyes. Velvet was covering her eyes with her tall ears, she was always uncomfortable with seeing blood, and was definitely frightened after seeing a man killed in such a manner. Some of them, such as Ren, Pyrrha, even Nora, were shocked to see a version of their team leader so ready to kill a man. But, they could justify it as an act of self-defence.

"Don't these people have their Aura unlocked or something?" Sun asked, raising the question that most of the watchers were asking.

"No, you will find that not all universes are blessed with a gift such as yours." Alaric returned, his voice taking a chilling tone. "Some universes see Aura and similar powers a blessing. Yet, some see it as a curse, and it even is sometimes."

 **Coming to another part of the east wall, Jaune found that the Blackstones had raised ladders there and had overwhelmed the defenders there. A single Blackstone captain remained, and was pulling his sword free from one of Jacque's captains.**

" _ **Reinforcements were coming. I needed to hold that wall."**_ **The Jaune onscreen narrated.**

 **Jaune immediately went on the offensive and delivered a swift diagonal slash from over his right-shoulder. The Blackstone captain was able to block Jaune's attack and attempted to retaliate with a swing that could have swept from Warden Jaune's right waist up and up to his right shoulder.**

 **Ducking, Jaune slashed his sword above the captain's left poleyn** _ **(knee-guard)**_ **, the steel blade cutting through the unprotected cloth and flesh. The Blackstone yelled out in pain, and gripped the place where Jaune had cut with his left hand, falling on his right leg in the process. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jaune took the blade of his sword in both hands and lifted it over his head, and brought it down on the Blackstone. The area above the hilt of Jaune's blade cut into the captain's right shoulder. Jaune removed the blade from the captain and let the man fall face first onto the ground.**

"YEAH! GO FEARLESS LEADER! BREAK THEIR LEGS!" Nora shouted at the top of her lungs at the TV screen. She had overcome the shock of Warden Jaune's first kill, and was now rooting for the alternate version of her team leader.

All those not used to Nora's antics felt sorry for the person who had to deal with her 24/7.

 **Back on screen, Warden Jaune went over to the edge of the east wall and saw three ladders. Blackstones were coming up them. The ladder closest to Jaune had a Blackstone soldier close to reaching the top of the wall. Going over to the ladder in time, Warden Jaune punched the soldier hard in the face as his head peaked over the wall's parapet. Stunned, the soldier lost his grip on the ladder and fell screaming to the ground below.**

 **This, however, allowed two more Blackstones to scale the walls and climb over the parapet. Jaune turned to face them, and saw that they were both captains.**

" **Die bastard!" One captain yelled as he suddenly charged at Jaune. The Warden, however, quickly dodged backwards, narrowly avoiding the wide vertical swing of the captain's sword. And, in a surprising move to the audience, shoulder charged the captain. Sending the Blackstone backwards, and almost knocking him off his feet.**

 **Turning in time, Jaune blocked the attack of a second captain with his sword, but the force behind that strike was strong enough that it made him take a few steps back. The two Blaclstones, more cautious of their adversary, slowly paced towards him together. His back against the parapet, Jaune needed to act.**

 **In swords-length of Jaune, both captain's swung their longswords and him. To the amazement of the audience, Jaune parried one and pushed him away, before parrying the second captain, their sword barely a second away from striking the front of his helmet. Turning his right hand so he was holding his sword in a reverse grip, and his left hand holding his sword's blade above the hilt, Jaune turned the captain's blade and positioned the tip of the blade so it was pointed at the right eyehole of the Blackstone's helm and thrust it forward.**

Plenty of the audience felt nauseous as they watched the blade pierce the man's eye and stab into his skull.

 **The second Blackstone attempted to stab Jaune. In response the Warden quickly sidestepped his attack, spun on the spot, and lopped his head off in one clean go.**

 **A door leading to a small stairway to the fortress' courtyard burst open, revealing four of Jacque's white and grey attired captains rush over to him. One of the captains called out to Jaune. "We'll take things from here Warden. You're needed in the courtyard."**

" **The courtyard!" Warden Jaune breathed as he ran quickly jogged past the four captains and made for the stairway.**

Jaune himself was rather intrigued by his onscreen counterpart. Sure the way In his counterpart had killed that man made him a little queasy, but, in his eyes, the armour he wore was actually kind of cool, and was starting to feel envious of this older, other version of himself. He appeared not just more skilled, but confident and talented.

Things that he was quite often not.

" **Go go go. Defend this fortress!" Another of Jacque's captains commanded, rallying a small band of soldiers.**

 **At least a dozen Blackstone soldiers were in the courtyard. Most were fighting of Jacque's soldiers, while few were trying to pry the gate. Together, Jaune, the captain, and the fresh band of soldiers, made quick of the Blackstones. Warden Jaune, who was notably taller than the lowly foot soldiers, mowed through them with ease, and only received a cut below his left elbow from a Blackstone who got lucky.**

"Gotta say Vomit Boy. This other you sure knows how to fight. Will all those private nights alone with Pyrrha turn you into this?" Yang remarked. Aside from the killing, Yang liked how this other Jaune fought. Skilfully applying both brute force and finesse in the way he fought.

Pyrrha face flushed at the way Yang described her training sessions with Jaune, and replied. "I assure you Yang. We're only training. And if Jaune keeps up with his training, he'll be better than this version of him in no time."

"How much you wanna bet on that?" Yang grinned. Though, her father interjected.

"Yang. What did I say about making bets about your friends, or at all?"

"I bet 15 Lien that the kid doesn't." Qrow immediately threw in his lot before taking a sip of his scotch filled glass.

"10 that he does!" Ruby enthusiastically jumped in. An appalled face on Taiyang's face, and a disappointed groan from Weiss at her partner and team leader's behaviour.

"Ha! 45 Lien and all of Ren's green tea for Jaune becoming the best fight Beacon, no, REMNANT HAS EVER SEEN!" Nora declared.

' _Ah. This is what I was looking for.'_ Alaric thought to himself in amusement as he watched the interaction. Glynda ordered that they stop and cast her trademark glare at them all, cowing each of them. No one wanted to receive the ire of that half-woman, half-shark.

 **As soon as the courtyard was cleared, and it seemed that the defenders could take a breather. The body fell from the wall above the gate. Looking up, Warden Jaune saw that the Blackstones had taken the that wall, and had positioned archers.**

" **Archers!" Jaune growled, running over to a nearby ladder that would take him to a balcony overlooking the courtyard that led back up to the gate's wall. Climbing up the ladder and onto the balcony, Jaune came across a Warden wearing the colours of the Blackstone Legion.**

" **I don't have time for this. Those archers need to go." Jaune muttered to himself and charged the enemy Warden. His opponent stood his ground and readied himself. As soon as the two men were in sword's length of each other, Jaune swung his blade, but his attack was blocked before it could connect with his enemy.**

 **Jaune's opponent swung his longsword back. Yet Jaune did not allow the strike to fall, as he shouldered charged his opponent. This time, both of them lost balance and fell onto the hard stone ground.**

 **Acting quickly, Jaune got on one knee, and grabbed the front of his opponent's helm with his free hand and forcefully slammed the back of the man's head against the floor. Taking advantage of this, Jaune plunged his longsword into the man's chest, killing the man, pulled it free and continued on.**

"Despite the... brutishness of their fighting style. I must say this person is somewhat efficient." Winter spoke. Voicing her opinion on the way the Warden fought. That visibly perturbed her sister. Though this was not Jaune, her sister had, in her eyes, indirectly praised the blonde dolt.

The world had gone truly mad in Weiss' eyes.

 **Fighting his way through some more Blackstones, Jaune climbed up a stairwell and saw his Warlord, Jacque, behead a Blackstone captain.**

" **That is how it is done you see!" Jacque yelled at two of his soldiers as he pushed them forward. Staying at the back of his soldiers, and Jaune, who had entered the fray, as they pushed forward and fought the Blackstones.**

Qrow snorted and whispered to himself. "Huh. He's as much of an ass as our Jacque Schnee."

 **Finally reaching the wall of the front gate, Jaune grunted as he dodged arrows shot at him by the archers on the wall, one arrow glancing off his right shoulder guard, and took cover behind a catapult that the Blackstones had turned over.**

 **Looking around him for a way to get rid of these archers while also not getting killed in the process, Jaune saw that the catapult he was hiding behind was still ready to fire. An idea forming in his head, Jaune stood up and cut the rope holding catapult's 'arm' in place.**

 **The siege weapon fired, the arm struck the archers and launched them off of the wall.**

"A most daring move." Port spoke, admiration in his voice. "I did something similar once. Allow me to elaborate on what transpired on that dire spring afternoon. A bold, young, handsome man- "

Everyone, even Alaric, groaned and tried to ignore the professor as he began on his latest exaggerated, and long-winded story that may or may not be completely made up. Returning to watching Warden Jaune, with some help from the other world's Jacque, fight off Blackstones who were pouring into the courtyard through a breach in the castle's wall.

 **Suddenly, the gates burst open, no longer capable of enduring the force of the Blackstones' ram striking it. Emerging rather dramatically from the smoke, Ironwood walked menacingly through the now open gate.**

 **Four of Jacque's soldiers charged at the Lawbringer. Ironwood proved the superior combatant.**

 **The first received the axe head of Ironwood's poleaxe to his stone. Ironwood struck the second in the face with the bottom end of his poleaxe before striking his stomach the same way he did the first. Parried the third and slashed his side. He pined the sword of the third to the ground, and struck him in the face with his poleaxe's haft.**

 **Jaune and two more soldiers advanced on Ironwood, but, the Lawbringer pointed the top of his weapon at them and shouted, no, commanded. "STOP!"**

 **Breathing heavily, Ironwood began to roar loudly. "Schnee! Schnee! Show yourself!"**

 **Surprisingly, Jacque stepped forward and stood at the head of his warriors. Ironwood continued to speak. "These warriors don't have to die! Trial by combat! Right now!"**

" _I see somethings are still the same."_ Glynda thought to herself. _"This version of James is as direct our universe's."_

" **What, fight you? That's not a trial. That's an execution." Jacque protested. He and Ironwood were now two paces from each other.**

 **The Lawbringer took a step forward and gestured his left hand towards the Warden that had been like his own shadow. Speaking again, his voice, and his mood, was like a low simmering fire, unlike the loud volcano it had been. "Then fight my second."**

 **Jacque looked to Jaune a called out to him. "You! You will be my second."**

All of the audience, apart from Alaric, frowned in disapproval or anger at Jacque. Jaune had been fighting almost nonstop since the screen turned on and must be exhausted. Ironwood's second was fresh to the fight. No way was this a fair fight at all.

Jacque's display of cowardice also did not help the audience's move.

" **Alright then." Jaune sighed as he stepped forward to face his opponent. Ironwood, Jacque, and soldiers from both sides backed away to allow the two warriors space for their trial.**

 **As Jaune and his opponent took up their stances, Jaune narrated the scene once again.** _ **"If I refused, there would be a slaughter."**_

That Jaune was narrating the events they were watching as if they had happened in the past told that he most probably would survive this trial. Though the state he would be in if he survived this duel was a whole other question.

" **Begin!" Ironwood shouted from the side.**

 **Despite this, the two did not immediately engage each other. They simply circled each other, like opposing wolves fighting over fallen prey. Sizing each other up. Jaune was bloody, he had suffered a couple flesh wounds, and was tiring out. His opponent was clean, without any injuries, and full of energy.**

 **Jaune became aware that his opponent was closing this distance between them with quick steps while still circling each other. He knew Jaune was tired and was at the disadvantage.**

 **As soon as they were three paces away from each other, like a big cat leaping on its quarry, Ironwood's second leapt forward and swung at Jaune in a heavy downward arc. Jaune blocked the attack but was pushed back by the force behind it. Pushing his attack, Jaune's opponent launched another two-handed swing from over his left shoulder. Jaune blocked it again took two steps back.**

Those who were watching were silent. Jaune, and those familiar with him, remembered how he was during their early combat classes. The fight they were watching reminded them of those lessons, but this time. It was not the fault of Warden Jaune lacking skill in combat, it was due to tiredness that he was fighting so poorly.

 **Confident of his seemingly assured victory, the Blackstone made for another overhead strike. However, this left him open to attack.**

 **Receiving a second wind, Jaune quickly slashed at his foe. The blade of his sword meeting the Blackstone's torso armour. The strike was light, and the Blackstone before him was afforded better quality arms and armour than those Jaune had previously slain. It would only leave a gash on his torso armour. But it interrupted the Blackstone's attack.**

 **The two Wardens separated from each other so that they were four paces away from each. The Blackstone spared only half a second to look at his torso armour of chainmail and metal plates, and snarled angrily at Jaune. Jaune was still at a disadvantage, and his opponent would be more now.**

" _ **He was a Warden, or had been."**_ **Jaune spoke again.**

 **The Blackstone made a feint, pretending to attempt to stab at Jaune's exposed midsection, but turned the blade towards his chest. Seeing the blade change target, Jaune moved so that the tip struck the small shield over the left side of his chest, not puncturing the metal plate. Jaune thrust his own sword at his opponent, but he too moved in time so the blade only grazed his left upper arm.**

 **Both men backed away again, but remained three paces away from the other. Defending against his enemy's attacks and looking for an opening in them wasn't enough. Jaune needed to go on the offense.**

" _ **I needed to win, but not for Schnee."**_

 **Aiming for the Blackstone's left shoulder, Jaune swung his longsword in a swift strike. That was blocked, but Jaune followed it up by swinging his blade at his foe's midsection. He dodged it only by a hair's length by jumping backwards.**

 **Ironwood's second countered Jaune with a fast downward attack of his own. Jaune parried the attack and kicked his foe back. Despite his second wind, he couldn't keep this up forever. He needed to end it quickly. The enemy Warden was now furious, and he showed it. Closing the distance between him a Jaune once again, the Blackstone launched a flurry of attacks at Jaune, which the latter deftly parried, blocked or dodged most of them.**

 **The Blackstone was able to scar Jaune's visor, slash through the chainmail underneath his left arm and his chest. Flesh wounds all of them.**

 **Then, as Ironwood's second raised his sword over his head, Jaune leapt forward and thrust his sword into his opponent's gut. The Blackstone stood there in shock of feeling Jaune's blade run him through. Jaune removed his sword from the Blackstone's body, the man stood there for a moment, before falling onto the dirt on his knees, the rest of his body following after a second later.**

Though a wave of relief fell on the audience, they were still anxious. Ironwood and Jacque had not gone into detail about what was to happen if either side won.

 **As the body of Ironwood's second fell onto the ground, the man himself stood silently for a few seconds before walking down to Jaune and Jacque, handing his ornate poleaxe to a captain who stood nearby.**

" _ **We were still at their mercy."**_ **Jaune spoke again.**

"What is he doing." Velvet questioned. Relieved that other Jaune had won, but worried all the same. There did not appear to be any aggressive intent in the way Ironwood walked, but everyone watched with bated breath.

" **It will not do for a knight of the Blackstone Legion to be defeated by a common mercenary." Ironwood said to Jacque as he stood close to the man, the latter gripping his sheathed longsword. The Blackstone reached and grabbed hold of Jacque's sword, there was a tense pause, but Jacque ultimately relented and let Ironwood take his weapon.**

 **The Lawbringer turned and walked over to Jaune and commanded the Warden. "Kneel."**

 **Seeing no other choice, Jaune did as he was told, and planted his sword in the ground and got on one knee.**

"Wait. What is he doing?" Sun asked. His words the same question that ran through the minds of everyone else.

"Am I- is he being-" Jaune mumbled, utterly confused as he watched Ironwood touch the flat end of Jacque's sword on Jaune's shoulder and head.

" **For valour in battle. For honour in service. I, James Ironwood, raise you." Ironwood extended a hand to Jaune. "Stand, Knight of the Blackstone Legion."**

Everyone watching was shocked. This other Jaune had just killed Ironwood's second and many of his men. And here he was, knighting the very same man who did all that, and inducting him into his legion.

"Why- ?" Ironwood began, but was cut off by Alaric.

"Why knight him? The Blackstone Legion believe in rule of the strong. Jaune proved himself stronger than Ironwood's second and Jacque. A man like him is what they're looking for the future world they seek to create."

"A world where only the strong rule?" Ozpin questioned. He had known many people who had desired for such a world to exist.

Alaric chuckled in amusement and cryptically replied. "That's one aspect of it."

 **Jaune took Ironwood's hand and was easily raised to his feet by the larger man. The Lawbringer handed over Jacque's sword to Jaune, quietly accepting the weapon. Bewildered as the audience and many of the people on screen were.**

 **Ironwood took Jaune's sword and tossed it to Jacque's feet. Simply saying to the deserter. "We're finished here."**

 **The man turned and began to walk away. The rest of the Blackstones following suit and leaving the fortress. Jaune stood there for a moment, still trying to make sense of what was going on. Noticing his hesitation, Ironwood turned his head and calmly called to Jaune. "C'mon."**

 **Jaune paused, looked to his comrades and Jacque, the latter refusing to look him in the eye. Making his decision, Jaune sheathed his new sword and followed after Ironwood.**

" _ **That was how I joined the Blackstone Legion."**_ **Jaune said as the screen faded to black.**

Everything was dead silent. Everyone was still trying to come to grips with what they had seen.

"That was... interesting to watch." Ozpin said, breaking the silence. Alaric hummed pleasantly to himself, this experiment of his had proven to bear results.

"So let me get this straight." Jaune began. His voice uneasy, and still shocked by what he saw. "In this alternate universe, I'm a real knight? And I worked for Weiss' dad? And- "

"You're an actually good fighter?" Weiss interrupted.

Ruby pouted at her partner and said. "Weiss. Don't be mean to Jaune!"

"What I'd like to know is why the Grimm weren't attracted to all that fighting. Surely the amounts of negative energy that must built up around that area should have drawn in at least three packs of Beowulves." Taiyang mused. Those who had thought of the lack of Grimm realise this and looked to Alaric for answers.

Alaric looked back at the audience, and replied. "There are no Grimm in this world. The only monsters there are those they create and themselves. Oh, there are also no Faunus in this and many other worlds if you were going to ask. Only humans."

That revelation struck them like a lightning bolt. Nora having first-hand experience in that matter. A world without Grimm. It was something they wanted, and could only dream of. Here, they wete seeing just what a world eithout the constant terror of the Creatures of Grimm hanging over them like a sword held tenuously on a string over their heads.

"No Grimm. No Faunus." Blake breathed. It was almost inconceivable to her. Just how different would her life be, and the lives of other Faunus be, if they were all humans, and there were no Grimm?

"That means... no huntsmen?" Ruby thought aloud. It had been her dream for most of her life to be a huntress. What she would be if she didn't become one was hard for her to think about.

Privately, Ozpin pondered on this matter as well. A world where its populace was not threatened by Salem and her unending hordes of Grimm. It was what he sought in the many lifetimes he had lived. But he knew, and it was visibly shown to him just now, that such a world was not a utopia. Humans and Faunus alike always found a way to get themselves into conflict with one another.

The Keeper pressed a couple buttons on the remote, the language and symbols unknown to the audience. Underneath his mask, Alaric smiled, and said. "Care for another one?"

* * *

 **Well, that's that. Hope you enjoyed this. I would like some feedback on the fight scenes. I always feel like action scenes are difficult for me to write and the fights I create may not properly depict the actions going on well. Until next time.**

 **Up Next: Mexican Standoff**


	3. Mexican Standoff

**Author's Note:**

 **Welcome, weary travellers, to a new chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse.**

 **Once again, my thanks to those who favourited, followed, and made requests. Some of the universes the audience will observe shall have a few or none of the RWBY cast replace the original persons in them. Partially because I can't think of who from the RWBY cast could replace them, and because the originals are too good to replace.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth. Mexican Standoff is by Rocket Jump.**

 **Without further ado, let us to it!**

* * *

 **Mexican Standoff**

Alaric smiled and said. "Care for another one?"

The assembled group from Remnant looked to each other, wordlessly each other and themselves whether to comply with Alaric.

The universe they had watched had proven interesting to say the least. No Aura or Semblance. No Grimm or Faunus even. It was truly a whole other world from their own. Sure they had been essentially been kidnapped, but Alaric had not shown any malicious intent towards them, and was proving to be somewhat amicable.

"You will let all of us go back home safely once we are satisfied. Correct?" Ozpin asked Alaric.

"Why of course. By my honour as a Keeper of this Repository, you and whoever else I draw or have drawn from your universe shall be returned to the original places and times you hail from." The Keeper answered, his free hand over his heart, and his eyes flashed brightly when he finished speaking.

'" _Places and times"? What does he mean by that."_ Blake thought to herself. She didn't trust Alaric. The excuse he had given them for his actions was dissatisfactory to her. Well, all she could do was play along for now.

Similar thoughts ran through the minds of a few others in the audience, but like Blake , all that could be done about their current situation was to follow the yellow brick road that Alaric paved in front of them and hope there was a crossroad somewhere that got them out of this place, and didn't lead them to a pit full of Grimm.

 **The blank TV screen came alive and showed an alley way in the afternoon. From a door leading to the alley, a man in a white coat, and wearing a bowler hat atop his ginger-haired head burst into the alley and made a run for the only exit out of it.**

"Roman Torchwick?" Everyone in the audience yelled.

 **Two others followed him out into the alleyway. The first was a man with tan skin, messy light-blue hair, wearing a red jacket, yellow-tinted goggles over his forehead, grey jeans. The second was another man, with tan skin, spiky blonde hair, wearing a white jacket, blue cargo pants, red bracers over his arm, and had a monkey tail.**

"Neptune?" Weiss blurted out in surprise of seeing the blue-haired teen on screen. Get used to it Weiss, you'll be seeing a whole lot more of crazy shit.

"Sun!" Blake exclaimed, unable to contain her astonishment at this unexpected surprise.

 **Both Neptune and Sun brought up handguns and aimed them at Torchwick. Neptune shouting at the notorious criminal. "Freeze! End of the line, Roman!"**

"Yo Neptune! We look cool as adults! And man, we're bringing down Roman Torchwick. This is awesome!" Sun yelled, a wide grin on his face as he pointed at the older version of himself.

"Heck yeah we do!" The monkey faunus' partner replied, sharing a fist bump with his best friend. "Though, it's pretty weird to see you have your jacket done up."

Sun's excitement stalled for a moment and looked at the screen again. Sure enough, his jacket, normally undone so he could show of his sweet abs, was done zipped up. Sun, and team RWBY, was not sure what to make of it. He only did his jacket up when it was cold, and it seemed like a hot day where this universe was taking place in.

The others in the audience were glad to see a criminal like Torchwick finally have the law catch up to him.

 **Roman stopped where he was, though there was no fear or panic written on his face. This wasn't his first close-shave with the law.**

" **Alright." Roman muttered as he caught his breath. The camera cut to a shot of both Sun and Neptune looking at Roman with the utmost concentration, fingers on their triggers. The camera cut again, this time to the right pocket of Roman's jacket, the grip of a handgun poking out. "Here we go."**

 **As quick as Ruby leaping on the latest weapons magazine on sale, Roman's hands fell to both of his jacket's pockets and pulled out two handguns, turned and aimed both guns at Sun and Neptune.**

"Huh. You guys and Torchwick aren't using your weapons." Ruby spoke up.

"Different universe little sister." Yang whispered to Ruby, reminding the young girl about things were different in other worlds. "No Aura here as well, I guess."

" **Well, well, well, boys. Looks like we got a Mexican stand-off." Roman stated to the two men before him.**

" **Guess again." Sun cut in, the camera snapping towards him. "We've got a sniper trained on your position."**

 **Just as Sun had said, the camera cut once more to a view of a of a sniper scope with Roman in its crosshairs. Next showing the sniper herself, a woman wearing a black beanie covering her left eye, turning the red laser sight of her sniper on.**

"No escape for you this time, criminal." Winter smugly grinned. Though, Qrow was sceptical. "Wait for it."

" **Nice try. But I've had an unmanned drone on that sniper's ass this whole time." Roman quickly responded. The sniper looked up and saw an Altesian drone armed with air-to-ground weaponry flying by.**

"Told you." Qrow said with a smirk. Winter humphed and crossed her arms. Ironwood seethed in anger at seeing Roman using Altesian military hardware.

" **You mean the unmanned drone our hacker just took over?" Neptune interjected. The screen moved on to show the screen of the drone become slightly distorted before showing Yang, with a pair of glasses mind you, typing away at a laptop.**

"They... uncanny levels of planning." Glynda said to her colleagues, who nodded in agreement.

Yang looked at the other version of herself with an appalled look on her face. The sight of her in glasses _again_ horrified her. RiUby, Taiyang, and Qrow, secretly thought back to when Yang was eleven and was told she needed glasses. She insisted on contacts, and got them, after nearly punching the optician through two brick walls.

" **You mean the hacker's wife I just kidnapped?" Roman countered. The screen showing an older Blake examining a fruit in her garden before a** _ **very**_ **tall, bear of a man with a balaclava hiding his face, wrapped her head a sack and pulled her off-screen.**

"I think this is going a little far." Ren voiced his growing concerns.

"I'm Yang's wife/You're my wife?!" Blake and Yang respectively shouted in pure shock.

Alaric laughed heartily, though, he knew things were only going to get better.

" **You mean the hacker's wife, who just filed for divorce?" Sun smugly answered back. Disbelief could be detected as Roman swore. "Bullshit! That marriage is rock solid."**

 **Sun laughed before speaking again. "I guarantee you it's not. I've been hitting that for six months."**

 **Sun and Neptune shared a fist bump at that.**

"WHAT THE FU-!" Blake began, but felt a chill go up her spine as a shadow came over her. Turning, Weiss came face-to-face with three _very_ angry individuals.

"YOU DARE CHEAT ON OTHER ME/MY DAUGHTER/MY NIECE!" Yang, Taiyang, and drunkle Qrow roared. Murder in their eyes.

"Uh, o-other universe! OTHER UNIVERSE!" Blake shrieked in fear of the three.

Alaric, though highly amused and laughing his ass of, decided that the level of violence the three would unleash would be overkill, and could prove dangerous to the Repository. So, with naught but a thought, tight ribbons appeared, wrapped themselves around Weiss' would-be assailants, and restrained them to their chairs and couch.

"Are you sure those will hold?" Ruby questioned Alaric. She hadn't seen Yang this made before. Her hair was completely on fire, so much so that it appeared the fire was her hair, and her eyes were like red giant stars.

"These ribbons were made by dwarves. Don't worry about it." The Keeper attempted to reassure Ruby, however, his words did more to confuse than reassure Ruby, and the rest of the audience.

" **That's right cowboy, hear that we've got you covered, so drop it." Neptune ordered Roman.**

" **Looks like you got me." Roman said, slowly lowering his arms. "But you forgot one thing. I always bring back up."**

 **With that, Sun turned his gun on Neptune, and Torchwick raised his back up.**

"Hey! Not cool man!" Neptune cried out. At this point, most of the audience was starting to feel very confused by all these plot twists. Nora and Alaric however, were smiling away as if it all made sense.

" **You mean Chucky Cheese over here?" Neptune smirked, turning and put his forehead against Sun's handgun. "Had him pegged for a rat he day he entered the academy. Boom. Second sniper."**

 **A white laser dot appeared on Sun's forehead.**

" **Oh, you knew all along?" Sun questioned Neptune.**

" **Yeah." Neptune answered. A red dot appearing on his forehead.**

" **Well I knew all along, that you knew all along."**

" **Did just get her monkey-boy? I knew, you knew, I knew, all along. All along. All along." Neptune proclaimed. Torchwick, and the audience, having a confused look on their faces.**

" **Well it looks like we've got a REAL Mexican standoff here, boys!" Sun yelled.**

" **Woo! All this talk of double-crossing is making me hungry! For a slice, of blueberry pie." The camera focusing on Neptune's mouth at that final sentence.**

Almost everyone, particularly the more serious-minded, was incredibly confused by what they were watching. Alaric, Nora, Jaune, Ruby, Yang, who had calmed down, and a few others, had accepted the absurdness of it all and were laughing.

 **The camera focused on Torchwick, who appeared to be having some sort of fit. In the background images including some blueberries, the flag of Vale, the national bird of Vale, a truck, and an axe appeared.**

 **Roman reared his head back before snapping it back forward, eyes refocused, and turned his guns toward Sun. "Special Agent Blueberries Johnson, reporting for duty."**

" **You were a sleeper agent?" Sun, and the audience, said in shock.**

" **That's right. And my top secret mission..." Roman turned one gun back towards Neptune. "To investigate you for corruption Sorry sir."**

" **Wait! What!" Sun, and a majority of the audience, shouted. Trying very hard to comprehend what was going on.**

" **You're investigating me? Who do you think you are, Blueberries? And who do you think, I am?" 'Neptune' questioned, uh, Blueberries before pulling his face off to reveal Blueberries' face.**

" **I don't know. Why don't you ask, you?" 'Blueberries' sneered, as he too pulled his face off to reveal that he was really Neptune. Blueberries levelled his gun at Neptune and cried out in horror and disbelief. "No! That's impossible!"**

Glynda couldn't take it anymore and struggled to form coherent words as she tried to verbally express her confusion at it all. Someone coughed behind her. It was Alaric offering a glass of clear water to her. Ironwood, Winter, Weiss, Oobleck, and Ozpin had a similar glass of water in their hands.

Sighing, Glynda took off her glasses, and accepting the glass of water, and drank all its contents in one gulp.

 **On screen, Sun began to laugh like a madman, drawing the attention of everyone. "Oh, look at you two fools! Playing your cat and mouse games. When the truth has been in front of your faces tge entire time. And behind mine."**

 **Sun then proceeded to reach up and begin to rip his own face off as well. His head came off, and Neptune and Blueberries began to shout in a mixture of horror and shock at what had been behind Sun's face.**

"Who am I gonna be? Who am I gonna be?" Sun chanted. Blake shook her head at his behaviour, but focused on the screen. Also intrigued as to who Sun really was. What she saw caused her jaw to fall to the ground, alongside everyone else's'. Those who had been drinking did a spit-take. Exactly as Alaric had planned.

 **For behind Sun's mask was... a gun.**

"This is ridiculous." Weiss stated. She wished she was the legal age to drink alcohol, for she really felt like she needed two bottles of wine to make sense of this nonsense.

"This is the best thing ever!" Ruby cried as she lay on the floor, holding her stomach. She was laughing so hard, her stomach began to hurt.

 **A second later, the gun was gone and Sun was back to normal. "What happened? What?"**

" **You were a gun for a second!" Blueberries answered. Sun began to deny his accusation. "What? No, nonononononono, I'm not a gun! I'm not- what are you talking about?"**

" **Nope, you were definitely a gun." Neptune reinforced Blueberries' words with a shake of his head.**

 **Sun began to cry, rather pathetically for a person who was supposed to be a fully matured adult male. "I'm not a gun. I'm a human being."**

" **Well, you're crying like a little girl." Blueberries said humorously.**

" **Screw you guys, I'm killing everyone." Sun shouted hysterically as he raised both of his guns at Neptune and Blueberries.**

"This is comedy gold right here." Coco chuckled.

 **Neptune raised both his hands in a stopping manner and attempted to calm the situation down. "Stop, stop, stop. Slow down. Slow down, guys. Alright? Listen. Let's just take a moment to figure out who's double-crossing themselves while dressed as each other, okay? Does that sound good?"**

 **Blueberries and Sun slowly lowered their guns, each of them agitated and uneasy.**

" **Sound good? Okay. Alright?"**

"How they'll figure all of that out is beyond me." Fox spoke his thoughts aloud. Receiving nods from everyone else.

 **The camera then cut to a scene where Neptune, Sun, and Blueberries were crouching before a complex diagram drawn from coloured chalk onto the concrete ground.**

" **Okay, so then you became yourself, dressed as me, I get that." Neptune said. Somehow making sense of the ridiculous situation he was in.**

" **And, this asshole turned to a gun." Blueberries accused Sun, who immediately began to deny it again.**

" **No, you shut your mouth."**

" **You shut your mouth, you dirty gun!" Blueberries snarled at Sun.**

" **How dare you?" Sun dramatically yelled at Blueberries.**

 **Neptune, tired of the arguing, spoke over the arguing man and possible gun. "Guys, shut up, okay? Can we just agree to go with the plan here?"**

"Please do. I can't stand this idiocy any longer." Winter groaned. She did find it amusing, but, she was reluctant to show it, for Qrow liked it, and she refused to show to that man that they shared any common ground what so ever.

 **The three men agreed and took up the positions where they had been. They stood there for a moment, collecting themselves and eying each other up. And, all at the same time, they raised their guns at each other and began to repeatedly shoot at each other. Blood flew everywhere, and as they completely emptied the clips of their guns, their bodies fell like ragdolls onto the floor.**

"Aw, it's over." Nora pouted. This was the funniest thing she had ever seen and wanted to see more.

 **The screen focused on Blueberries, who suddenly began to cough and opened up his jacket, revealing an armoured vest underneath. The man began to laugh a joyfully cried out. "I won. I won! Haha."**

"Another plot twist. Really?" Blake flatly said. It didn't help that it was Torchwick that survived.

Velvet's ears perked up and said. "Wait. What's that noise?"

 **A hissing sound began to fill the speakers, like a tire or balloon deflating. The screen panned up Sun's body. To reveal that there was no body, just empty clothes. A gun emerging from Sun's empty clothes like a snake shedding its old skin.**

"No way." Jaune said in disbelief. A disbelief shared by Blueberries.

" **I didn't want to believe it! It can't be true! You can't be a gun!" Blueberries shouted in denial as the gun that had been Sun somehow moved towards him. Its barrel aimed at him. "You were at Neo's wedding. You son of a bitch! I trusted you!"**

 **The gun aimed itself at Blueberries' forehead.**

" **Fine. But there's something you should know about me." Blueberries said, resigning to his fate. "I'm actually, a blueberry-"**

 **The gun fired and the screen turned to black.**

It's finally over!" Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. It had gotten absolutely idiotic when they started pulling their masks off. Preposterous when it was revealed that Sun was a gun all along.

Alaric was had a Cheshire grin behind his mask and said. "Wait for it."

Ozpin stroked his chin and hummed before speaking. "What was that Blueberries was saying, and why was the blood that splattered the wall when the gun shot him purple?"

 **The screen came to life again. This time, it was night time, and the alleyway where the standoff had occurred was cornered off as the police began to examine the place.**

 **Two policemen in uniform. One was dark-skinned with copper hair, and white eyes. The other was tall, had tan-skin, and black hair.**

"Huh. Fox and I are policemen." Yatsuhashi stated. Thumbing his chin in the process.

"Not bad boys. You look good in uniform." Coco teased the two male members of her team.

" **Oooh. Hell of a crime scene." The Fox on screen whistled. Apparently, this version of Fox wasn't blind.**

" **You're the genius, what's your take?" Yatsuhashi asked of his friend and partner.**

" **Uh, the way I see it, this young gentleman over here walked into this alleyway. Had some blueberry pie, then killed himself. Then he put the gun over there, to make it look like the gun killed the pie."**

The audience was in silence at the onscreen version of Fox's interpretation of what had happened.

"That was almost as ridiculous as what actually happened." Coco remarked with a smirk as she, and the Fox onscreen to a sip of their mugs.

" **Just another wild night, at Wizard City." Yatsuhashi said as he looked off into the distance. The screen panned upwards as to reveal a city with skyscrapers, and a dragon like figure passing before the full moon, and the TV faded to black.**

Everyone looked suspiciously at Sun after a long silence. Noticing this, Sun waved both hands in front of him and attempted to dissuade their suspicions. "H-Hey! I'm not really a gun behind this handsome face!"

"That's what a gun would say!" Nora declared as she leapt onto her feet and pointed accusingly at Sun. Before he could respond, or anyone attempt to stop her, Nora had pounced at Sun and knocked onto the floor, and proceeded to try to pull his face off. "Where's the real Sun, you damn dirty little gun? There wasn't a real Sun wasn't there? Huh?"

"Should we... do something to help?" Jaune asked. Concerned for the health of his fellow blonde.

"Don't worry. Nora hasn't eaten a thing since we began watching what Alaric just showed us. She'll tire out soon enough and ask for pancakes." Ren calmly replied, remaining calm as he watched Nora fight against Ruby, Blake, Pyrrha, and Neptune as they tried to pry her and a now unconscious Sun apart.

Over to the side, Alaric was rolling on the floor. Continuously laughing and holding his stomach. Hopefully he would be satisfied soon.

* * *

 **This was a really fun one to write. Was kind of in a rush to get this out, but it turned out well. Next one won't be out for a while, need a quick break from writing is all. Nothing serious.**

 **Until next time.**

 **Up next: ?**


	4. Infinity Blade 3 - Origins

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay. I know I said I'd take a break from writing and wouldn't post something for a while. But, I couldn't stop myself. If something captivates me, or if my mind can't find the brakes for the train that is my imagination, I almost can't help myself. Also helps that I have a lot of spare time. So, here's another one.**

 **Glad people enjoyed the previous chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse. In the last one, the sniper with a beanie targeting Roman was May Zedong, and Blake's '** _ **very**_ **tall, bear of a man' kidnapper was Junior. Just a quick cameo for those two.**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Infinity Blade 3 belongs to Chair.**

* * *

 **Infinity Blade III – Origins**

The young huntsmen-in-training had successfully pulled Nora and Sun apart. Nora kept on thrashing her arms and legs around, shouting about how Sun was a 'dirty gun' secretly planning to murder them, erase pancakes from existence, and sought to take over all of Remnant. Sun was currently unconscious, for Nora had strangled his throat to the point his face had become blue and had passed out. Professor Port of all people was attempting to revive the transfer student from Haven.

"Don't worry, ladies and gentlemen. All the young lad needs is some good old mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, performed by yours truly." Port spoke in his usual dramatic manner of speech as his face descended on Sun's.

Everyone present recoiled at Port's announcement, many turning away. Unwilling to watch the probably middle-aged man lay his lips on the young monkey faunus.

Alaric, having recovered from his fit of laughter, and also put off by that mental image, grabbed hold of the back of Port's collar and effortlessly pulled him away from Sun. "That will not be necessary Professor Port. Mister Wukong should come around in three... two... one."

As the Keeper said one, Sun eyes opened and he bolted into a sitting position.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What just happened? Why does my throat feel like it was crushed between two mountains? And... why is Professor Port kneeling beside me? H-He didn't do CPR on me, did he?"

"Don't worry Sun. He didn't." Blake answered Sun's question, a small smile on her lips. She wondered how he would react if she said yes.

"Well, now that the gun is a awake (Hey!), I would like to show you another universe. Less... light-hearted than the last one." Alaric announced. Remembering the three tied up members of the audience, the Keeper turned to Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow, and asked them. "Now, I trust you three have calmed down now, and that you won't try to kill either Blake and the gun?"

The three nodded, while Blake planted her face into her hand, and Sun had an indignant look on his face. "Come on dude! I'm not a gun!"

"Marvellous!" Alaric said gleefully, ignoring Sun entirely. Waving his hand in a lazy manner, the ribbons that held the three relatives in places unravelled themselves, freeing the two Xiao Longs and the perpetually drunk Qrow.

"Yeesh. What was that made from?" Taiyang questioned Alaric. The silken ribbon that tied him, his daughter, and brother-in-law, felt impossible to break free from.

Alaric, who was now fiddling with the remote again, looked up and responded. "Hm? Oh, the sound of a cat's footfall, a woman's beard, roots of a mountain, bear sinews, a fish's breath, and bird spittle."

Once more, the audience was stunned into silence. Not only did what Alaric say sound completely ridiculous, as well as impossible, but the calm and casual manner which he listed off those impossible materials really threw them off.

"Don't try to think about! Just sit down and watch this new universe." The Keeper of the Repository said, redirecting their confused faces back to the TV screen.

 **The screen slowly light up, revealing a large dark smithy. The only source of light in the smithy being the forge's fire. By the light of the forge, countless swords that lay on the floor of the smithy, to the point that the floor beneath was lost to view, were illuminated and gleamed in the darkness.**

Ruby's eyes sparkled with excitement as she eyed the innumerable amount of swords before her.

" **This world was broken." An ancient and unfamiliar voice, still filled with strength and vigour, spoke. "Screaming for salvation. Into fire, blood, and treachery, you were born. My majestic blade."**

 **The screen revealed a tall long-bearded man, his face set in a hard, stern look, pull a long-bladed sword from the forge. Its blade glowed bright due to the forge's heat.**

"From this man's narration, his world must be imperilled by something. Much like our own." Ozpin gravelly intoned. Alaric said this universe would not be as light-hearted as the one with the highly amusing, albeit very confusing, standoff in the last one. "But what is so special about this sword? How can a simple weapon change the fate of an entire world?"

This prompted the others in the audience to ponder on this question also. Ozpin was right. How could a single sword bring 'salvation' to the man's world?

 **The man began to hammer at the flat edge of the sword's blade with heavy blows. The sound of metal striking metal ringing out loudly through the speakers.**

 **Transitioning from the smithy, the screen now showed an immense human figure, wearing armour that gave the impression of a skeleton and wielding an hammer of their own, tower over the forms of smaller humans who were like minuscule ants to him.**

" **Immortal. Invincible. The Deathless came. Caressed the throats of weak humanity." The giant figure brought his hammer down and crushed the lowly human figures beneath him. His body partially eclipsing the sun behind his titan frame.**

"Deathless?" Glynda whispered. The name evoked a sense of dread in the audience, and that was not even taking account of the implications regarding the mortality of these 'Deathless'. Or lack thereof if the narrator's words were to be trusted.

Alaric laughed. "Yes. Imagine, men and women, whose physical capabilities that far outpaces that of regular mortals. Similar to yourselves, really. Except, they no longer need to fear death, for they now possess fully functional immortality. Their bodies can be slain, but, their consciousness will remain and come back in an exact copy of the body that had previously been killed. And, unlike you, who chose to serve those lesser in ability to you, the Deathless have conquered their world, and bound humanity to centuries of servitude."

"How is that even possible?" Pyrrha questioned. Baffled by the thought of someone being truly immortal, and disgusted by how the Deathless had exploited their immortality for the sake of personal gain.

Alaric said nothing, but secretly glanced over at Ozpin. The two's eyes met, and Ozpin realised that the Keeper was well aware of his own ability to reincarnate through another's body.

" **To kill the immortal is impossible, they said. But I, the Worker of Secrets, embraced a Deathless warlord. And forged you! A weapon to slay, the un-slayable." The narrator, and most likely the man forging the blade, spoke. A hint of pride in his voice.**

"That sword can kill these Deathless?" Blake mumbled. She had read similar such stories before. A seemingly immortal villain who terrorises the world, and only a special weapon wielded by the hero could defeat them.

But, a Deathless helping forge a sword that possessed the capability to kill him and his kind? That most certainly wouldn't end well for the narrator.

"'Worker of Secrets', huh? Gotta say, that sounds like a sweet nickname." Neptune remarked.

 **Once more, the screen changed from the smithy to a scene of the narrator, now wearing a combination of unique golden armour, a mask with an impassive expression set upon it, and black robes chained up and being sealed away. The Worker of Secrets looked up from his soon-to-be prison, and saw a menacing figure in pitch black armour lined with gold. In his hands was the Worker's completed blade. And it was truly magnificent to behold.**

" **The warlord betrayed us! Stole you from me! I was entombed! Deep in his Vault of Tears! He was Ausar the Vile."**

"Of course he'd get betrayed." Qrow said with a shake of his head. To him, this Worker of Secrets didn't seem so smart if he didn't anticipate that the Deathless would betray him. A weapon of such potency such as that one's? Obviously someone was going to get the short end of that deal. And it was the Worker who drew the short straw.

"Wait, if he's been entombed like that. How is he speaking right now?" Weiss questioned. "Why imprison him in the first place, anyway? I'm not saying it's a good thing, but why not just kill him then and there?"

Those who listened shrugged. From this Ausar's _delightful_ title, he sounded like the kind of person who'd murder others who got in their way, even those once close to him, and got his jollies from torturing people and kicking adorable corgis. But still, how was the Worker of Secrets talking right now?

Others were not paying attention, and looked fixatedly at the sword in the warlord's hand. It was a marvel of blacksmithing. A work of art as well as a weapon. But still, they did not understand how the sword could be used to truly kill the Deathless. Did it hold some sort of unknown mystical power that only the Worker knew?

 **Ausar held the sword in both hands and brought it closer to him, inspecting the brilliant blade. To the shock of Ausar and the audience, white energy began to erupt from the sword until it burst in a bright flash that turned the entire screen white.**

" **Consumed by your infinite light. You burned his very soul!"**

Well, the audience got their answer as to how the sword could permanently kill the Deathless. It could cut not just a Deathless' flesh, but also their very 'soul'. And it frightened them.

A sword that could destroy a person's soul.

They, and the people of Remnant, felt that they had an intimate understand and connection to their souls. Due to their usage of Aura, the physical manifestation of their soul, and Semblance, the manipulation of their Aura. They did not know what happened to their souls after death, but the thought that this sword could actually inflict harm to it chilled them to the very bone.

Well, at least karma kicked Ausar right in the balls.

 **The screen returned to the Worker as he continued to forge the Deathless-killing sword. Pulling it from a barrel of water, the Worker returned to his anvil and struck at the blade once more.**

" **The both of you, lifeless. Tearing you from Ausar's corpse. The God-King whispered. "S** _ **acrifice'**_ **."**

"Another Deathless tyrant?" Ironwood grunted. Receiving a nod from Alaric.

"But, what was all that about 'sacrifice'? And how could that sword become 'lifeless'?" Ruby questioned. Fascinated by the weapon, and the story. She was hoping that some awesome hero would come into the story and beat the baddie, save the Worker, and make the world a better place.

"Shhh. Young one. I will explain later." Alaric hushed, his voice gentle as a calm stream.

 **As the Worker struck his hammer against the sword's blade a second time, the swords that dangled precariously from the ceiling fell. Blades first.**

 **The screen transitioned again however, and the swords fell onto countless warriors. Killing them. They were in a throne room now, and seated at a high-backed throne above the corpses of fallen warriors was a Deathless in impressive form-fitting silver armour. The Deathless-slayer beside him.**

 **This was the God-King. Raidriar.**

" **And so death had its day after day. A ritual slaughter... fathers and avenging sons... All doomed."**

The audience choked at the sight of the number of slain that had fallen by the God-King's hand. Even the more strong-willed shifted in their seats. The price to reawaken the sword was incredibly high. And the God-King was willing to pay it.

"S-So... many." Velvet quailed. Holding on tightly to Yatsuhashi's arm.

 **The God-King stood up from his throne, the sword in hand, and descended down the steps that led up to his throne and clashed blades with a warrior in full plate armour wielding also wielding a sword. The audience rooted for this warrior, hoping that he would end this God-King's reign of slaughter.**

" **Until at last... a warrior came with true and noble heart. He'd slay the mighty God-King..."**

 **The two warriors took their battle off-screen, the shadows falling onto the steps to the God-King's throne. To their joy, the warrior beheaded the God-King, and his headless corpse fell back on-screen and onto the throne's steps.**

"Yeah!" Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Nora, Sun, and Neptune cheered, punching the air with their fists.

Taiyang and Qrow looked on in amusement at Ruby and Weiss. Winter let a small smile adorn her face as she watched her younger sister. At least she was making new friends in Beacon.

Ruby was ecstatic. This was turning out just like the books she read, and the stories her dad, and Yang read to her when she was younger.

Blake was hesitant to join her friends and celebrate this unknown warrior's victory. This was just like the books she read, and there was going to be a catch. A plot twist. Stories like this did not simply end there and then.

" **Anoint you with immortal blood. And so unleash your glory!"**

"Uh, that's a good thing? Right?" Jaune said with uncertainty. The cheer he and his friends displayed earlier wavering.

 **Returning to the Worker in his smithy, the camera was now angled to look up from behind his anvil. A portion of the sword's flat edge visible, and of the Worker, only his face could be seen. As he struck the sword with his hammer again, strange white markings lit up along the blade's blade edge.**

" **The warrior was Siris. He unknowingly gave you life. And foolishly gave us freedom!"**

"What?" Ruby shouted in alarm.

"So, this Worker is also a bad guy?" Taiyang questioned. He, and a few others in the audience, had assumed that he had made the sword and intended to wield it for benevolent purposes. It appeared he did not. Had years of watching the world choke under the firm grip of the Deathless drive him to this path? Was it his imprisonment that turned him?

 **The Worker was now sat on a throne of his own, free from the Vault of Tears. The slayer of the un-slayable at his side now.**

" **I am Father of the Deathless! Creator and destroyer of all! And Siris is our enemy... he is Ausar reborn!"**

"WHAT?!" Ruby screamed even louder. Joined by a few more voices.

The Worker created the Deathless? Thoughts ran 10 kilometres (6-ish miles) a second around their heads. Why? Did that mean he too was a Deathless if he created them?

And Siris, the 'hero', was Ausar returned? If so, did that mean that the sword did not truly kill Deathless, or did it leave them unable to take a physical body for some time? And what were his motives? Did he seek to reclaim the sword, and with it conquer the world?

 **The clank of metal plates moving was heard behind the Worker. The Worker turned his head, the camera panned to reveal a keyhole-like doorway allowing white light into the Worker's chamber. A silhouette stood before the doorway, the same as the warrior who had struck down the God-King, Siris. Or as he was known in his previous life. Ausar.**

" **And now, my secret vengeance. The world shall know your name!"**

 **Unconcerned, the Worker of Secrets brought up his sword in a reverse grip, the white markings of the sword lighting up as the sword rose. The Worker brought the sword down and pierced the floor, the floor began to split as energies ran through the floor and towards Siris.**

 **Focusing on Siris, the camera showed the Deathless warrior take up a stance and readied himself for the fight of his many lives.**

 **The screen cut to black, and it was all over.**

Once more, silence dominated the room. Alaric sat there, waited for the first person from the audience to speak. The anticipation delighted him greatly.

Everyone turned to look at Alaric, their eyes a mixture of emotion and thought.

Ozpin, and those in his inner circle, regarded him with suspicion. It could not be a coincidence to them that Alaric could have randomly chosen a universe for them to observe relating to immortality, and how those immortals used their unending lives to shackle and destroy those of others. And the implications of a weapon that could _kill_ those with immortality made their gazes all the sharper.

From the young huntresses and huntsmen-in-training, they were less unified in their feelings on the matter. There was conflict, anxiety, and doubt..

But he could see confusion in all their faces.

"What was all that?" Ruby asked Alaric. Her voice was quiet, but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear her.

"That... was a preview, a summary, of a world struggling not against endless hordes of Grimm or other such monsters. But one where undying overlords have held sway over the lives of the people of that world." Alaric responded. "Through manipulation of a particle unique to that universe and its branches, the Deathless have achieved immortality through the ensured maintenance of their consciousness beyond death. That sword you saw, the Infinity Blade, was forged with technology that can destabilise those particles. And destroy a Deathless' consciousness."

"But how was Ausar able to return? It obviously doesn't work properly." Weiss interjected.

"Oh, it does. The Worker of Secrets fixed another piece of technology to the Infinity Blade before Ausar's treachery and his imprisonment. One that erases the memories of a Deathless instead of destroying them. Ausar fell prey to this device, and lost all memory of who he was. The monster he was. And became Siris!"

Everyone was now hanging onto Alaric's every word.

"Siris fought against the God-King many times, dying each time. For generations and generations. Until, finally, he bested the God-King. After this, he realised his true nature as a Deathless, and in time, his previous life as Ausar. And do you know what he felt? Remorse. Regret. And an overwhelming desire to redeem himself through this new identity of his for the vile acts he performed in his previous one. I will say no more of this universe. But know that Siris ultimately did redeem himself for the crimes of Ausar."

Silence reigned again. Seeing how overwhelmed his audience was, Alaric stood up and began to walk to the door he had entered the room through. "This is all a bit much for you, I understand. I will leave you alone for a while. Please, collect your thoughts."

As soon as Alaric had left the room. The audience began to fall into quiet discussions between themselves.

Ozpin and his group had gone to a corner of the room and were closely whispering to one another.

"That was a... most intriguing universe to watch. Wouldn't you say Oz?" Ironwood quietly said to Ozpin. The Beacon Headmaster nodded. His mind elsewhere.

Observing this universe made Ozpin think. He could have become like the Deathless. He could have chosen to, instead of following through with his task of destroying Salem, used his curse of immortality through reincarnation for his own personal benefit. The temptation to do so had existed. But he had overcome that urge lifetimes ago and fully dedicated himself to his task.

What Remnant could have become if he did follow those desire, Ozpin could scarce imagine.

The ponderings of the huntsmen-in-training, and those unaffiliated with Ozpin and his Order, was not as serious.

For a certain cat faunus, she remained silent. A universe where a person possessed a dark past which they regretted? Oh, this universe made her think. I don't need elaborate on why. You've seen this dance before. Blake having former terrorist neko girl problems, yadda, yadda, yadda. No need to say more. I really don't want to write about Blake's angst-ventures, I really don't.

As the group of huntsmen and huntsmen-in-training were in deep thought. A new set of popping sounds alerted the group to some new arrivals.

* * *

 **Another one done. I loved writing this one. Not only do I think that the Infinity Blade III - Origins Trailer was one of the best trailers I've ever watched. But the game itself was one of my favourites to play. If you noticed, or not, I did not replace anyone in this universe. I could have made Ozpin the Worker of Secrets, but there's no way I'm replacing John Noble's amazing voice.**

 **Don't worry, Oz** _ **will**_ **be the protagonist of the chapter after the next one. I really hope you enjoyed this.**

 **Well, I'll see you lads and ladies when I next see you.**


	5. BIONICLE

**Author's Note:**

 **Let me clarify a few more things before we get too befuddled by this new chapter I have posted.**

 **This fanfiction is NOT Jaune-centric. That means, Jaune will NOT be the main focus of the universes the group will watch. I have stated that before, and nowhere did I say that this would be Jaune-centric. Apologies to those who have read, understood, and accepted this message. But, there are those who are making Jaune-centric requests. So please, make requests that are not centred around that blonde, Pyrrha-stealing, idiot.**

 **There are several other reaction fanfictions out there where Jaune is the protagonist. If you want a Jaune-centric fanfic, go read them.**

 **Now, on with the show!**

 **Disclaimer: BIONICLE belongs to LEGO**

* * *

 **BIONICLE: Toa Mahri Mini Movie**

Materialising and falling onto couches and chairs like the main group had done, three new persons appeared.

"Salutations everyone!" A girl with orange hair and bright green eyes greeted the group. She landed on a chair that sat between Ironwood and Team RWBY's couch, notably on the side of the couch close to the team leader herself, Ruby.

"What the-? Where am I?!" A tan-skinned boy freckles questioned as he looked around in shock and confusion at his unfamiliar surroundings. He landed on a chair in front of Ozpin.

"Woof!" An adorable Pembroke Welsh Corgi barked. This little ball of fur landed on Taiyang's lap.

"Penny?!" Ruby, Ironwood, and Winter exclaimed at the sight of the secret robot-girl, whose socials skills are far more worse than Ruby's.

"Zwei?" Taiyang and Yang, saying that sounded weird, said in a mixture of alarm and joy at seeing the corgi.

"Good day, young man." Ozpin greeted the freckled boy.

The sound of a door opening sounded behind the group, and Alaric, this Repository's Keeper, returned to the room. Alaric clapped his gloved hands together and spoke. "Ah. The new arrivals! Excellent. Though once again, my timing is off."

"You summoned more people and a dog?" Weiss questioned the Keeper.

Alaric huffed and waved a hand in dismissal at the heiress as he responded. "Please. You do my job for six centuries, and let's see how much amusement you want to squeeze out of this opportunity. More people, more reactions. More reactions, more fun for me!"

The freckled boy raised his hand timidly. "Um, can I just ask where I am? And who are all of you?"

"Ah, Ren!" Nora cried as she zipped over and hugged the boy tightly. Thankfully, not enough to choke the poor boy, but the hug was really tight. "He's so cute! Can we keep him? Can we?!"

Ren shook his head, and easily pulled Nora off the boy, and calmly refused her request. "No Nora. We can't keep him. We don't even know his name."

Ozpin, finding himself inexplicably interested in the boy, leaned forward and gently asked him. "What is your name, young man?"

The boy looked down and shyly replied. "M-My name's Oscar. Oscar Pine. I'm a farmhand, and... Wait. Your Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy!"

"Yes, I am. It is a pleasure to meet you Oscar." Ozpin warmly greeted the farmhand. In his mind, he, and others in the audience who were watching the interaction between the two, wondered as to why Alaric had chosen a simple farmhand to become part of their group.

Penny's face, upon seeing Ruby being present, lit up and had begun to hug here in a similar manner as Nora had done to Oscar, only much tighter. Though, instead of being unintentionally crushed by bone and pure muscle, the red hooded girl was beginning to lose the ability to breath because of a pair of mechanical arms made of a metal alloy covered in synthetic flesh.

Nice girl as Penny was, I wouldn't want a hug from her.

"Hello best-friend Ruby and Ruby's friends! I look forward to socially bonding with you all." Penny enthusiastically greeted teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, Sun, and Neptune. They all looked at the girl with uncertain looks.

"P-P-Penny! Hard... to... breathe!" Ruby croaked out as she struggled to get air in her lungs while Penny was crushing her. Realising her mistake, Penny let Ruby go. The red hooded girl immediately taking deep breathes as soon as she was free.

"Yeah. Something's not right with this girl." Neptune whispered to Sun. Sun looked at him with a confused look. "What are you talking about, dude? She doesn't seem too weird to me. She's just really strong, that's all."

Winter looked down at the dog that had bounded over to her feet. During the brief, argument filled mishaps that _could_ be called 'working' with Qrow. The drunken huntsman had made several references to a family pet in the various slurs meant to insult her and Atlas.

' _My brother-in-law's dog could track these Grimm better than you!'_

' _My brother-in-law's dog can fight better than those tin-men you call "Knights"!'_

' _My brother-in-law's dog has better scoring with Glynda than Jimmy does!"_

' _My brother-in-law's dog is more thicc than you, Ice Queen!"_

The veteran huntsman had been more intoxicated when he said that last one.

Now that she was faced-to-face with the dog, Zwei she heard its owner address it as. It took all of her willpower, her years of training as a Specialist, and her hatred for Qrow to resist the urge. The urge... to grab hold of Zwei and hug it closely to her chest and pet the dog, because it was the most adorable little creature she had ever seen.

Zwei looked up at her, panting and his tail wagging in excitement. The corgi tilted his head to the side, causing Winter's heart to almost stop due to the sheer adorableness. Her composure was starting to break, and she feared that she would not be able to hold out any longer when, thankfully, someone whistled and Zwei turned away from Winter in response.

"Come on boy! Come here. Leave the nice lady alone." Taiyang ordered the dog, the dog immediately obeying his master and ran back to the blonde man.

Winter let out a quick sigh, before recomposing herself. That was close.

Meanwhile, Alaric had finished explaining to Penny and Oscar their situation, and failed to persuade the two that he had not abducted them. Which he had, in all due honesty. Taking his seat back on his chair, Alaric refilled whatever refreshments his guests had, giving a mug of cocoa to Oscar, but nothing for Penny.

The Keeper took up his remote and turned the TV screen on again.

 **The TV opens up with a view looking up the inside of an underwater tunnel formed by hardened lava. Though, that little fact was unknown to the audience.**

"Where is this one taking place in? Is this... in the ocean?" Pyrrha curiously asked Alaric. The Keeper nodded in response.

That grabbed the attention of almost everyone in the audience. The sea was a mysterious. A place so full of mystery and unknowns. Yes, they knew that there were Grimm down there, but, they had little idea of what else could be down there. The Grimm could be thanked for that.

This universe might enlighten them somewhat as to the nature of what could be found in the ocean's depths.

 **In the darkness of the tunnel, something could be seen descending swiftly down the tunnel, illuminating the tunnel with its lights.**

"Is that a submarine?" Ironwood asked. Submarines were used by the Kingdoms, though, their utility was limited due to the aforementioned sea-Grimm. The Grimm having a tendency of turning those pressurised submersibles into underwater metal coffins for their crews, if they ventured too far into Grimm-infested waters.

 **The 'submarine' pasted by at rapid speeds. Giving the audience only a quick glance at its features. All that they made out were what looked like four red eyes at the 'submarines' front. This was the Toa Terrain Crawler.**

" **Deep sea descent in progress." A voice suddenly spoke. It was deep, refined, but also familiar voice to the ears of the audience.**

"Professor Port?" The Beacon students cried out in alarm. The voice was indeed his, though it was not as boisterous as the Grimm Studies Professor who sat with them.

The man himself let out a hearty laugh and said. "Hohoho. It appears to be my turn to take centre stage!"

Alaric snorted and interrupted Port. "You wish. Keep watching."

 **The camera than focused on a green robot for a second, before changing to a view of the Crawler. As this happened, Port continued to speak.**

" **Thirty one, thirty two. Thirty three thousand."**

Thirty three thousand fathoms? No submersible made by the Kingdoms had ever gone done that far into the sea.

The audience were surprised by the design of the 'submarine'. It was unlike the submarines they had on Remnant. This one resembled an animal, it was Grimm-like even. Resembling a specific species of eel-like Grimm that was known to prey on Faunus fishermen off the coast of Menagerie.

They were also surprised by the robot. It was unlike any they had seen before. Though, Ren had an odd sense of familiarity to the green robot that he could not place.

 **The screen transitioned to a view of the Crawler's interior. Revealing five more robots. Their bodies were designed and were coloured differently. These were the Toa Mahri. There was a red one, a white one, a black one, a blue one, and a brown one. For some odd reason, five members of the audience also felt as if these robots were familiar in some way.**

" **Stay on site." The blue Toa responded in a masculine voice.**

Upon hearing it, the Beacon students turned towards Neptune. For the voice had sounded like Neptune's, though it was more professional than his own.

"That's... a robot version of me?" Neptune asked himself more than anyone. Now he realised what that odd feeling it had when he saw the blue robot. "That's cool."

"You're not alone. Watch." Alaric jumped in.

" **Prepare for impact." Port advised the Crawler's passengers. Robot arms began to outfit the Toa with all manner of underwater survival equipment and weapons. For the red one, a sword was attached to its right hand. "Release Fire Sword."**

" **Check." The red one replied. Its voice was feminine, and was recognised by Ruby, Yang, and their dad and drunkle.**

"Yang?" Ruby squeaked looking over to her older sister. The red reaper was also staring fixatedly at the 'Fire Sword'. Was it like the one she had seen when she first arrived at Beacon? Was it laced with fire Dust and capable of creating fire?

The robot-Yang's voice was more serious, and little of her usual care-free and wisecracking attitude could be felt in it. Yang herself was not sure how to take this, so she chose to remain silent and keep watching.

" **Prototank." Port continued to run a checklist, the Toa began to be outfitted with masks over their faces, oxygen tubes following after them.**

" **Check." Neptune spoke again.**

" **Oxygen flow."**

" **Check." This time, it was the white Toa that answered. It was a female one as well.**

An intrigued look formed on Weiss' face. That robot was her? She did not mind too much. There were worse things than being a robot.

 **The Crawler had now reached the seafloor and ran over it. An overhead view showed that it was nearing an underwater cliff. If it did not slow down, the Crawler and its occupants would be sent plummeting further into the deeper, darker depths of the ocean.**

" **Three. Two. One." Port calmly counted down. The Crawler thankfully stopped in time, so that only the front end hung over the edge. "Destination reached."**

"So, _water_ they doing down there?" Yang asked, slipping a horrible pun into her question.

"God damn it Yang!" The blonde bombshell's friends and relatives shouted, well apart from Taiyang anyway. The teachers, Ironwood, and Winter, also showed their annoyance at Yang's sense of humour. Even Zwei let out a whine.

"Is she always like this?" Oscar asked, also cringing at Yang's 'joke'.

"You have no idea." Jaune groaned despondently. Having seven sisters could not have prepared him at all for his fellow blonde's terrible puns.

" **Disarm hatch. And release Cordak Blasters." Port continued. The camera returned to the interior of the Crawler. From the ceiling, a hatch opened up to reveal a set of six-shot projectile launchers with revolving barrels that fired explosive mini-rockets. The Toa Mahri began to equip themselves with one, though, the green one however equipped himself with two.**

Ruby had turned into her chibi-mode and was staring at the Cordak Blasters with stars in her eyes and began to ramble on about their design. Those who had not known Ruby for long looked on with a perturbed expression on their faces. For those that did, this was a fairly normal sight to see.

" **Mission objective: Retrieve Mask of Life."**

 **The green Toa nodded as the barrel of his right Cordak Blaster rotated, and spoke in Ren's voice. "I'm ready."**

 **The screen changed again to show Neptune, Ren, and Weiss standing in a chamber. Water rising past their knees.**

" **Time is limited." Port said with urgency in his voice.**

"All this for a mask?" Blake mused. Robot versions of her friends were organising and arming themselves in a manner befitting the Altesian military. All for a mask? "Must be quite a special mask."

"A mask that can create, control, and destroy all life in that universe." Alaric chimed. Once more the audience was shocked by a hot piece of information that Alaric just dropped onto their laps. A mask that had the power to create, control, and destroy life in an entire universe? That was some serious shit right there. Ozpin thought to the Four Relics. Could this 'Mask of Life' be this universe's equivalent of the Four Relics?

 **Focusing on the door of the Crawler from the watery outside. The camera gave the audience a rather cinematic view of the door opening, and the Toa Mahri exiting the Crawler. Neptune was at the front, alongside a Cordax Blaster, he was armed with talon-like blades, and had wing-like fins sprouting from his back.**

 **Neptune swam ahead as the rest of the Toa began to emerge and spread out in a semi-circular formation from the Crawler, and stood at the edge of the cliff.**

"At least this version of you isn't afraid of water." Sun humorously called his best friend out on his ironic phobia of water.

"Hey. Not cool man." Neptune scolded his friend.

"Seriously? You're afraid of water?" Ren blankly questioned the blue-haired teen. "Your name is Neptune. How can you be afraid of water?"

" **There seems to be no sign of life!" Yang called out, though, everyone who had seen an action movie in their lives could see where this was going. Take note, don't tempt fate. Or it'll bite you in the ass. Hard.**

 **Just as Ruby had said that, two shark-like creatures, mutated Takea sharks, burst from the inky darkness below the cliff and began circling the Toa like vultures.**

" **Whoa! What's that?" Neptune exclaimed in alarm.**

The sight of the Takea sharks shocked the audience. They appeared like biomechanical Grimm sharks. Didn't help that their eyes burned red like a Grimm's.

"Sheesh. This reminds me of when I watched that movie. Maw." Taiyang reminisced as he remembered when his team went to the movie theatre and watched that awesome shark movie. That had been an interesting movie night.

" **Unite in battle formation." Yang coolly ordered her team.**

" **Let's get them!" Another of the Toa said. This one was black, and wielded a shield in conjunction with their Cordax Blaster. Their voice belonged to Jaune.**

 **Ruby, Ren, Jaune, and the other nameless member of the the group had formed up into a circle and unleashed a fusillade of their rocket-propelled projectiles. The audience wondered where Weiss and Neptune had gone, for they were nowhere on screen, and were not at all impressed by how they were all missing their shots at the sharks.**

 **Weiss appeared aboard some sort of some underwater vehicle and chased one of the sharks off. The white Toa called out to her friends before disappearing into the darkness. "I've got this one."**

" **Off you go, creep." Ren's onscreen counterpart remarked, as he and Ruby watched as the two disappeared.**

"Was that directed at the shark thing? Or Weiss?" Yang joked. Making the heiress squawk at Yang.

"I don't know. That Weiss' mask was rather creepy." Blake replied. The heiress spluttered out a few incoherent words. Sometimes she hated her friends.

 **The two turned in time to see the second Takea shark appear from the darkness at their level. Before the two Toa could react, the shark knocked the pair over, and sent them hurtling into the abyss below the cliff. Neptune appeared and grabbed hold of the creature's tail, and was dragged off into the dark waters as it swam off to who knows where.**

"Heh. Rookie mistake. You should never let your guards down while in a fight." Qrow grunted. He'd seen more than a few huntsmen killed by the Grimm or human opponents because they let down their guards for just a second.

 **Jaune and the sixth member of the team of Toa approached the edge of the cliff where the rest of their teammates had disappeared.**

" **Guys, are you okay? Report back." Jaune called to Yang and Ren. A shadow fell on the two and a bestial roar rippled through the dark waters. Turning around, Jaune and his companion came face-to-face with a giant, bipedal crab-like beast with a large head, its mouth full of immense teeth as long and sharp as teeth.**

" **Holy Gadunka!" Jaune's companion cried out. Their voice belonged to Coco. The fashionista's brow raised, she didn't quite like how her robotic counterpart appeared.**

The audience were terrified by the creature before them. Like the Takea sharks that had assaulted the team upon their arrival, this Gadunka had been mutated. Becoming a gargantuan colossus when compared to its tiny original such a beast like it existed in the seas of Remnant, the audience hoped not. Those the species already identified on land, sea, and air were terrifying and deadly enough. They dreaded what a Grimm version of this underwater monster would be like.

"You see? This is why I don't like the ocean." Neptune said to Sun. Though, the monkey faunus gave him a 'are-you-serious' look and quickly replied.

"Dude. You're not just afraid of the ocean. You're afraid of all kinds of water. Even rain!"

 **The mutated its arms as if aiming at the two Toa. The darkness made it hard to see, but if the audience focused hard enough, they could see what looked like a projectile launcher being wielded by its left arm.**

" **Watch out, he's armed!" Jaune warned as the Gadunka fired the strangest ammunition the audience had ever seen at the Toa. Some sort of fully organic squid creatures were shot at the two Toa in quick succession. The force of the squid-things striking them sent Jaune and Coco 'flying' over the edge of the cliff.**

 **That was when Weiss' on-screen counterpart returned to the scene. She piloted her sea-craft towards the Gadunka, and leapt from the vessel at the last second. Leaving the vehicle to crash into the mutated Gadunka's large mouth.**

" **Eat this, Gadunka!" Weiss said in a cold, fierce tone that carried no hint of fear in it. The camera looked up at the cliff whilst quickly falling down it. Weiss and the Gadunka becoming silhouettes as the camera fell further into the abyss. Weiss repeatedly shot at the Gadunka, the massive beast spat her vehicle out of its mouth and turned towards her.**

"Yeah! You go Weiss!" Ruby urged on the robotic version of her best-friend.

"Yes. You go and prove your superiority in armed combat situations, Ruby's friend!" Penny joined in.

Weiss looked on in awe and pride of her alternate, robotic self's display of bravery. She would admit that if she did encounter the beast in real-life, she would have given pause, and probably would have waited for her team to help her defeat the creature. But, this other her had leapt into the fight without a second-thought and displayed no fear in the face of such a foe.

The Schnee heiress was not the only one admiring her other self. Oscar looked on in fascination at what was playing out before him. He lived in a rather quiet and less dangerous region of Anima. So, he hadn't personally seen the displays of bravery that Huntsmen were supposedly renowned for. Seeing the Toa bravely face these monsters, made the boy smile. And remember his secret desires to be something more than a farmhand.

 **The camera cut to a scene showing Jaune and Coco falling down the sea cliff, a bright white light trailing behind them. It then transitioned to Jaune's perspective as he looked at Coco. At the bottom-right corner of his vision was a countdown, currently at 24 hours, 56 minutes, and 30 seconds.**

" **Yang, Jaune, what's your status?" Coco called out to her friends and comrades in concern.**

"Um, what's that countdown for?" Nora asked Alaric.

"Oh, just the imminent death of what is essentially that universe's god. The Great Spirit, Mata Nui." Was Alaric's response. The audience now saw why the Toa were working with such urgency and determination. "If Mata Nui dies, well... the universe dies."

Glynda remembered the Keeper's earlier summary of the Mask's powers, and asked him. "And this Mask of Life will prevent that."

"The Mask was made for that specific purpose. Well, that is one of its two main purposes." Alaric stopped himself from saying more. He knew what the other purpose of the mask was, but was loath to reveal it to his guests.

"How?" Ozpin questioned Alaric. The Keeper did not immediately respond, and shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he attempted to formulate an answer. "We're getting sidetracked. Please, continue watching."

Alaric choice to avoid the question was probably not a good one, when the Keeper thought on it. But, it would probably be better if they remained ignorant as to the price that needed to be paid for the Great Spirit's survival, Alaric reasoned. After all, not many people responded well to the idea that a chosen person _had_ to die for the greater good of all. Especially if that person was a friend or relative.

 **The screen changed again, this time to show the front of a golden mask laying on the seafloor. Yang in the background. Interestingly, the front of the Mask of Life had a humanoid shape integrated into its design.**

The more observant members of the audience wondered about the relevance of the front of the mask's design. Particularly Doctor Oobleck, who drew similarities between it and a famous drawing by one of Remnant's greatest minds who lived when the Kingdoms were young.

" **I found the mask!" Yang called to her team, though, none could be seen nearby, and none responded.**

"Oh yeah. Time for me to save the world!" Yang triumphantly declared. Her team and friends rolling their eyes at her.

 **As Yang bent over to pick up the Mask of Life, a taller, grey robot came up behind her, grabbed Yang from behind and effortlessly lifted her up with one hand. The new robot spoke in a deep, emotionless voice that none in the audience could place. "I believe that mask belongs to me."**

Oscar felt as if he should recognise the robot from somewhere, but could not place where and didn't understand why he felt this way.

 **Suddenly, another robotic creature, its shape resembling a hound leapt from nowhere and tackled the grey robot. The grey robot let go of Yang as he and the robot-hound were sent a small distance away, though the grey robot was able to take hold of the hound and threw him aside.**

 **The screen focused on a new robot that entered the fray, this time, it was mainly red and grey. It wielded a large, twin-bladed sword and a Cordak Blaster over its right shoulder. Ruby, of course, was in awe of the twin-bladed sword.**

" **That mask is mine!" The new robot declared their intentions in a mechanical female voice filled with malice, as she starting firing her Blaster at the two other robots.**

"Is that me?" Penny questioned uncertainly. She was uncertain as to why this other version of herself would fight Ruby's sister and the other robot over a mask that could determine the fate of their universe. If she were they, she thought, she would help Ruby's sister as best as she was able.

Of course, that wasn't her. And to be honest, it wasn't Penny that was controlling that robot in the first place.

For, beneath Penny's voice, there was another female voice that spoke. It was quieter, and so full of hatred. Ozpin recognised the voice when he heard it, and was thankful that almost no one else in the audience seemed to notice it. Blake and Velvet seemed to have, but they wouldn't know who the voice belonged to.

It was the voice of his arch-nemesis. Salem.

 **The grey robot evaded the projectiles fired at him, and flung one of the blades on his back at Penny-Salem. However, Penny-Salem, was able to deflect it by blocking it with her sword.**

" **Guys, I need backup!" Yang cried out as she picked up the Mask of Life. Looked around and saw that she was in between the charging forms of the grey robot and Penny-Salem. The two large robots leapt at it each other, weapons raised and making ready to strike Yang down.**

"Come on. Come on. Somebody get in there!" Yang muttered to herself as she sat on the edge of the couch she sat on. The same went for everyone else in the audience. The fate of that universe hung on a thin tightrope.

 **At the last second, Yang let up with all her might. Jumping high above the grey robot and Penny-Salem as the two clashed their blades together. As she slowed and began to fall back down to the seafloor, Yang let go of the Mask of Life and shouted. "Weiss!"**

 **As Yang fell off-screen, Weiss, having survived her encounter with Gadunka, and riding atop one of the mutated Takea sharks, appeared. Hurtling towards the Mask of Life.**

" **I'll take it from here." Weiss serenely said as she grabbed hold of the mask and sped off into the murky darkness of the deep sea. As she disappeared, the TV screen faded to black.**

Alaric stretched his arms and legs, and exhaled satisfactorily. "So, what do you think?"

"That..." Weiss began, still focused on the screen.

"Was..." Yang continued, also in the same state as Weiss.

"AWESOME!" Nora and Ruby jovially cheered, Zwei leaping over the two in a wide arc with a enthusiastic woof. Together, the two began to ramble on about different points that made what they watched 'awesome'. Alaric smiling as he watched the two.

"It was a story for the ages!" Port began. "A small team of heroes venturing into the dark unknown. Surrounded by unspeakable horrors beyond their wildest dreams. With no backup! The future of their world at stake! With only their wits, weapons, and their teammates to rely on. That my good sir, was ART! How did you find it, my young man?"

Port had asked Oscar, who nervously began to fidget in his seat and looked down again, when he came under the gaze of everyone. Coco was reminded of Velvet, and thought to herself. _'Man, this kid is like Velvet back in our first year at Beacon.'_

"I-It was great." Oscar finally said. Alaric nodded and turned to Penny. "How about you, Penny? How do you feel after watching that?"

Penny paused for a moment before she gave her reply. "I found it emotionally stimulating in a positive way that makes me happy and glad that I watched this universe with you and best-friend Ruby! Thank you Mister Alaric!"

Everyone looked oddly at Penny, while Alaric had an amused looked on his face. Beads of sweat began to form on Ironwood's heat as he watched the interaction. The Keeper then turned to Zwei and asked the corgi. "What about you, Zwei? What do you think?"

"Woof." Zwei barked in response.

"Ah. Thank you for your input. Here, have a Scooby Snack." Alaric thanked the dog as he presented Zwei with a dog treat. Zwei graciously took it in his mouth and ran over to Ruby and Yang, who received him with open arms.

"You understand that... _thing_?" Blake tried to calmly say, as she stood atop her team's couch and attempted to keep away from Zwei.

"Why not, scaredy-cat?" Alaric off-handily said as he began to press the buttons on his remote and prepare the next universe that they were going to observe.

* * *

 **Ah. The nostalgia!**

 **Had a little debate with myself as to who would be who in this one. I originally had Ruby be Jaller, Cinder as Maxilos, and Raven as Hydraxon. Though I changed it up a bit to include the new arrivals, and because Yang as Jaller felt more fitting because, you know, her semblance.**

 **Anyways, here's the plan for how intend to go about the rest of the chapters. After the next chapter, I'm gonna start writing chapters based on the requests I have received from you, the readers. Every fifth chapter I'll show the plan for the next five at the bottom of it. Sound good?**

 **And for those who requested it, don't worry. I will do a reaction to Infinity War. However, I'll do it a bit later into the fanfiction. The Infinity War reaction will probably be comprised of at least two chapters between Chapter 20 and 30, though this may be subject to change, and I might do it earlier. When I do it, I'll probably only focus on the Thanos scenes, for those were the best parts of the movie in my honest opinion. Oh, and Josh Brolin will stay as Thanos, but I'll replace everyone else. Thanks to those who requested this.**

 **Up Next:**

 **Chapter 6 – Rick and Morty**

 **Chapter 7 – Request**

 **Chapter 8 – Request**

 **Chapter 9 – 300**

 **Chapter 10 – One-shot/Possible Future Fanfic**


	6. Rick and Morty

**Author's Note:**

 **Wubba lubba dub-dub!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - Rick and Morty**

As the audience of abductees readied themselves for another universe, the world around them turned grey, and time came to a standstill. Everything went still, everything, apart from Alaric.

The Keeper groaned loudly as he slumped on his chair and looked to the door to the main Repository. He knew who was coming, and he was none to please by what their visit entailed. The door opened, and a figure clad in the same robes as Alaric. Though the fabric was midnight blue, and under their hood a bronze mask was designed to resemble a lion's head, with obsidian horns that curved backwards, looked back at Alaric's own white, porcelain mask. From behind the mask's eyeholes, amethyst eyes fixed their gaze on Alaric.

Alaric stood and greeted the newcomer, a fellow Keeper of the Repositories of the Multiverse, with the customary two nods of his head and his dominant hand, Alaric's right-hand, over his heart. The traditional greeting of their order. His compatriot doing the same.

"Brother Ahriman, I suppose Brother Melchior wishes my fun to be put to an end?" Alaric asked the midnight blue clad Keeper.

"No Brother Alaric, our brother may not approve of your actions, but, he is willing to overlook them and allow you your 'fun'." Ahriman's deep, sonorous voice echoed from behind his mask. Ahriman always had a way about him, something that made other people feel small compared to him. That they were simply children caught with their hand in the cookie jar compared to him. Even Alaric, one who considered Ahriman a friend, was feeling the effects of the midnight blue clad Keeper's presence.

"I am here on Melchior's orders to ensure that you understand just what you are doing, and that you have taken measures in the case something goes wrong."

"Bah!" Alaric cried, rolling his eyes glibly at Ahriman's words. "Brother Melchior worries too much in his old age. I am no fool, brother. They bear no weapons, and I can shut down their Aura and Semblances at will. Time back in their universe has ceased, and once I'm done here they'll be returned home and find it as if they have not left."

Ahriman made no response and gazed at the group that Alaric had brought together. His eyes swept over them all, never spending more than a second on either of them.

"So, any word of a Keeper compatible with me?" Alaric inquired as he watched Ahriman kneel down and touched Zwei in the space between his eyes with his right thumb. The dog unfroze and looked curiously around him, wondering what was going on.

The moment Zwei laid eyes on Ahriman the dog barked excitedly at Ahriman. The Keeper chuckled and gently scratched the top of Zwei's head, before proceeding to answer Alaric. "There is... a possibility. Finding someone compatible with you has proven itself a frustratingly difficult task. We found a Keeper who _could_ be compatible with you. They are, however, currently undergoing the final stages of becoming a Keeper. So nothing is certain."

Alaric's brow rose in intrigue, and he felt his heart beat a tad bit faster. He'd been a Keeper for at least four centuries, and had been without a companion throughout the entirety of that time. He dared no hold onto hope though, for, as another Keeper had once told him. _"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment."_

"Continue to enjoy yourself, Brother. I will alert you as to any further developments with this Keeper." Ahriman said, patting Alaric on his shoulder as he made to leave. Once he had left through the door he had come through, colour returned to the room and time resumed its course.

For Alaric, his conversation with Melchior had lasted for a full two minutes. To his guests, no time at all had passed, and they were confused as to how Alaric was suddenly standing when he had just been sitting on his chair.

"What the- ? Mr Alaric, how did you get there?" Ruby asked Alaric.

"Do not worry yourselves. A matter of little consequence and concern arose. Let me boot up the next universe." Alaric cut their conversation there as he took his seat and pressed the lay button on his remote. "Prepare yourselves, cus' you're about to see some serious shit."

 **The TV screen comes to life, and on it, the audience is presented with a view of an asleep Ruby lying on her bed. Her four-wall bed room was different from her one back in Patch. The girl was hardly different than what the Ruby watching looked like.**

"Oh hey. It's me!" Ruby beamed, happy that Alaric had chosen a universe with her in it and excited as to what adventures she could get up to. However, she noticed that Crescent Rose was not resting in her arms while she slept. "Aww! Where's my baby?!"

"Come on Ruby. You saw us without our weapons. You should've expected to see yourself without yourselves in one of these." Yang reminded her sister of the differences between them and their alternate selves scattered through the universe.

 **Suddenly, a man wearing a white lab coat, a green shirt, and black pants stumbled into the room. He had spiky silver hair, equally silver unibrow, and his skin had a tanned ashy-complexion. In his right hand was a beer bottle.**

"Professor Ozpin!" Everyone blurted out as one. Surprised by the Headmaster's radically different appearance. None were more surprised than Ozpin himself.

" **Ruby, you gotta come with me." The Ozpin drunkenly said to the silver-eyed girl before falling face first onto the carpeted floor of Ruby's bedroom. "You gotta come on. Jus'... you gotta come with me."**

 **Awakened by the old man's arrival, Ruby got up from her bed. Her retreating bed sheets revealing that she wore no hood, but a red t-shirt. Rubbing her eyes, Ruby asked Ozpin. "What, Ozpin? What's going on?"**

"Seems you and Professor Ozpin personally know each other here." Weiss guessed correctly.

"You sure that's you Oz? You're acting more like Qrow during that New Year's party we threw at Beacon ten years ago." Ironwood asked the Headmaster. Receiving a hum of agreement from Ozpin, while the aforementioned Huntsman glared at Ironwood before taking a swig of his flask.

" **I got a surprise for you, Ruby." Ozpin said as he got on all fours and looked up the girl, letting alcohol onto the floor.**

" **It's the middle of the night. What are you talking about?" Ruby questioned Ozpin tiredly.**

 **Ozpin, despite his drunken state was able to get up and put one hand on Ruby's arm, while he rested the other on her bed. Spilling alcohol onto her sheets. "Come on, I got a surprise for you. Hurry up, gotta go."**

 **The drunken old man got up and dragged Ruby out of her bed and into the hall outside. All the while, the teenage girl was complaining, and being thoroughly ignored by Ozpin. "We gotta go, gotta get outta here, come on. Got a surprise for you Ruby."**

"Man, this reminds me of when you got drunk while babysitting Ruby and Yang, Qrow." Taiyang nudged Qrow's side with his elbow. "Remember? You tried to take them to the tavern in town and make them drink alcohol?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it Tai." Qrow grunted. Looking around, he noticed that everyone was staring at him with a disapproving look on their face. "What? Come one, you guys have probably done worse. Right?"

"Ruby was only two then, and Yang was four years-old." Taiyang continued. Qrow groaned and crossed his arms. Thank goodness Tai and Summer were got home earlier than they expected, and were able to stop Qrow before he left the door. Though, Summer almost killed him after she beat him to near death, twice. The first time for getting drunk while babysitting her daughters. The second time for showing them a magazine that the late mother could only describe as ' _filth_ '.

Qrow shuddered at the thought of that incident. Not only had Summer beaten the ever-loving crap out of him. She had also didn't let him eat any of her delicious home-baked cookies for three months. Those cookies tasted better than any ambrosia created by the gods. Truly, a terrible thing to happen to any man.

 **The scene then cut to a view of a star-filled night sky, with a crescent moon shining brightly. Underneath it, the night-time lights of city or town could be seen. Zooming across the sky, was a saucer shaped aircraft with a glass dome over the pilot compartment. In it, a still drunk Ozpin and a sleepy Ruby, who wore only her red t-shirt and black shorts.**

"This other you is very... irresponsible, sir." Glynda remarked disapprovingly as she looked at the Ozpin onscreen take a drink from his bottle.

"Allowing and encouraging childrento wield weapons and fight in your war against the Grimm can be seen as irresponsible as well, Madam Goodwitch." Alaric jumped in. The Professor shot him a sharp glare, causing the Keeper to raise his hands up in a calming gesture. "From a certain point of view, Miss Goodwitch. From a certain point of view."

"What kind of airship is that?" Jaune asked. It quite honestly looked like something built out of stuff they found in their garage was what he thought when he looked at it.

" **What do you think of this flying vehicle, Ruby? I built it outta stuff I found in the garage." Ozpin said, spluttering throughout the entirety of his sentence. Ruby, her eyes lidded as sleep threatened to take her again, drowsily answered him. "Yeah, Ozpin... I-It's great. Is this the surprise?"**

" **Ruby. I had to... I had to do... I had to make a bomb, Ruby. I had to create a bomb- "**

" **What?! A bomb?!" Both Ruby and the audience watching exclaimed in surprise and fear.**

" **We're gonna drop it down there, it's going to get a whole fresh start, Ruby. Create a whole fresh start." Ozpin explained as he slumped onto his seat.**

Ozpin frowned at his other self's behaviour. Being drunk was one thing. Driving an airship while drunk with a young person on board was another. But planning to drop a bomb on a populated area was a whole other level above that. Like, fifteen levels above drunk-driving, maybe seventeen. I don't know.

" **T-t-that's absolutely crazy!" Ruby stuttered. In disbelief of what Ozpin was planning to attempt.**

 **Ozpin sat back up on his chair and took the wheel. "Come on, Ruby. Just take it easy, it's gonna be good. Right now, we're gonna go pick up your little friend Blake."**

"Oh no." Blake groaned. She did not want to get involved with this, at least, she didn't want her alternate self to get involved. Though, she was happy that she was friend with Ruby in this one.

" **Blake? From my math class?" Ozpin then let go of the steering wheel and wrapped one arm around the girl and said, taking another drink from his bottle mid-sentence.**

" **When I drop the bomb, I don't... you know... I want you to have something, to have a thing. I'm gonna make it like a new Adam and Eve, and you're gonna be Adam. And Blake's gonna be Eve. I-I-I don't know how we'll make it happen, but we'll make it happen, Ruby."**

 **Ruby's mind was now past the confused border checkpoint, and meandered into short-circuited brain country. "Whhhh-wha?"**

"Soooo, little sis'. You gotta a thing for kitty cats?" Yang teasingly asked Ruby, who began to splutter in embarrassment. Blake sighed in defeat. Why did she have to be dragged into this?

" **That's the surprise, Ruby."**

 **Ruby recovered from her minor meltdown and pushed Ozpin off of her, sweat trailing down the side of her head. "No, you can't! Blake doesn't even know I exist! But-but, but forget about that, you can't blow up humanity!"**

" **I-I get what you're trying to say, Ruby." Ozpin said as he turned his head to the teenage girl, spilling alcohol onto the front of his shirt in the process. "Listen, I'm not... You don't got... Y-you don't gotta worry about me trying to fool around with Blake, or mess around with Blake or anything. I'm not that kind of guy, Ruby."**

" **What are you talking about, Oz?" Ruby half-yelled, her attitude changing rapidly to a more aggressive one.**

"Can I just ask what this Ruby's relationship is with Professor Ozpin is in this universe?" Velvet asked. "They seem like they more than just know each other here."

" **You-you don't have to worry about me getting with Blake or anything. Sh-sh-she- she, she, she's all for you, Ruby."**

" **I don't care about Blake! Y-Yyyyyyyyyyou-" Ruby argued**

" **You know what, Ruby? You're right. Let's forget the girl altogether. She-She's probably nothing but trouble, anyways." Ozpin threw his bottle away and pressed a button on the front panel of the airship's controls. The green light behind Morty turned read, and a computerised voice said. "Arming neutrino bomb."**

"Whyyyyyy?" Blake groaned in irritation.

"Uh, 'Neutrino Bomb'?" Oscar questioned as he looked towards Ozpin, hoping for an answer as to what the Ozpin on-screen had just set to explode. Ozpin in turn, looked towards Alaric for an explanation. Not exactly being an expert in the sciences himself.

Alaric looked back with an annoyed look in his eyes when he noticed Ozpin looking at him for answers. The Keeper crossed his arms and said. "What do I look like to you? An internet search engine? Keep watching."

" **That's it... that's it, Oz. I'm taking the wheel!" Ruby declared as she unbuckled her seatbelt and began to wrestle with Ozpin for the steering wheel.**

" **Get off of me, Ruby! What's gotten into you?" Ozpin yelled at Ruby as she moved from her seat and stood on his, and began to kick him in the face with the sole of her bare feet.**

" **I'm taking charge of this situation, buddy!** _ **(Ozpin: If you love Remnant so much why don't you marry it?)**_ **I'm put- I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm puttin'... I'm, I'm, I'm not gonna stand around like some sort of dumb... dummy and just le-let you ruin the whole world!"**

 **Ozpin pushed Ruby off of him and gave in to Ruby's demands. Taking hold of the wheel again. "Alright, alright, Ruby. Alright. I'll-I'll land the thing, I'll land the thing. Big tough guy all of a sudden."**

"This Ozpin doesn't have a bomb that can cause such apocalyptic levels of destruction to their world in their airship, does he?" Oobleck questioned Alaric. The Keeper immediately replying. "In this universe, Ozpin is a scientific genius. And with that great intellect, is the potential for great... irresponsibility. Especially when under the influence of alcohol."

"B-But, he didn't make a bomb like that. Right?" Jaune nervously answered. Alaric remained silent, prompting everyone to keep watching, and hoping to whatever god was out there that the Ozpin onscreen didn't actually make a bomb.

 **Ozpin flew the airship to an abrupt stop in a desert and inelegantly let the vehicle fall to the ground. The old man one of the airship's doors, dozens of bottles and cans spilling out, and fell out of the airship himself. "We'll park it right here, Ruby. Right here on the side of the ree... road here."**

" **Oh, thank god." Ruby said in relief as she collapsed onto the seat Ozpin had been sitting on.**

" **You know what? That was all a test, Ruby. Just an elaborate test to make you more assertive." The still drunken Ozpin declared as he lay on the desert floor.**

"I highly doubt it." Winter deadpanned.

" **It was?"**

" **Sure. Why not? I don't, I don't know. Y-you know what, Ru- " Ozpin had reached into his coat and retrieved a flask similar to Qrow's, but, before he could do anything with it, he felt asleep and began to snore loudly.**

"This is so weird. It's if Uncle Qrow possessed Professor Ozpin's body." Yang whispered to her team. Ruby couldn't help but agree with her older sister. Weiss had heard about the shenanigans of a huntsman who was frequently drunk from her sister. Learning that it was her teammates' uncle shocked her quite a bit. Blake, not really knowing or ever hearing of the older man prior to their abduction by Alaric simply played along and remained silent.

" _ **Neutrino bomb armed."**_ **A computerised voice announced, followed immediately by a beeping sound that quickly rose in frequency.**

" **Bomb?" Ruby nervously said.**

Penny, who had been sitting silently and still on her seat, the irises of her eyes having become small points _(which no one seemed to notice),_ recovered from her trance-like state and said. "According to my calculations, the bomb created by the Ozpin onscreen has the potential to subject all life on Remnant to lethal intensities of neutrino particles, and may very well wipe out all human life on Remnant if successfully detonated."

Everyone stared at Penny, all of them with odd expressions plastered onto their faces. Even Zwei bore a look of befuddlement on his face. The synthetic girl noticed this and waved cheerfully at them with a wide smile.

Alaric brought his remote back up and pressed a button on it. The screen changing from a view of Ruby looking in concern at the source of the red light, and showed Ozpin and Ruby inside a garage. The two watching as the door connecting it Ruby's house closed shut.

"Um. Did you just skip forward? What happened in between?" Nora asked Alaric as the Keeper stuffed his remote back into his robes.

"Nothing much." Alaric lied. The Keeper was planning to show them some freaky stuff, but he didn't want them to see some of the things in this universe. That and one other reason. Also because _I_ don't want to write down the entire episode.

" **Holy cow! I didn't know hanging out with you was making me smarter." Ruby said in amazement. She must have done or said something that was intellectually impressive prior to this.**

"See, Weiss. You can become smarter by hanging around smart people!" The Ruby in the audience stated smugly to her 'best-friend'. The heiress scowled and said. "That's not how things work! You get smarter by long hours of study and practise."

 **Ozpin, however, dropped a disheartening piece of information to the Ruby onscreen. "Full disclosure, Ruby: it's not. Temporary super-intelligence is a side effect of the mega seeds dissolving in your rectum."**

"WHAT?!" Much of the audience, primarily Ruby shouted in alarm and disgust. Ozpin choked on his coffee and began to cough harshly.

"W-Wh-wh-wh- Why would I pu-pu-put..." Ruby trailed off, sickened at the idea of putting something up her... uh, rear. Alaric snickered mischievously at this. Letting the audience hear the other reason he had skipped forward for. Real mature, right?

 **The shoulders of the Ruby onscreen sagged and she groaned in disappointment. "Aw, man!"**

" **Yeah, and once those seeds wear off, you're gonna lose all your motor skills and a significant amount of brain functionality for seventy-two hours, Ruby. Starting... right about now." Ozpin explained to her.**

" **Aw, man! Aw, geez!" Ruby tried to say, though saliva began to fall from her mouth and her eyes became defocused as she gripped the sides of her head. Not a moment later, the teenage girl fell collapsed onto the garage floor and began to twitch uncontrollably.**

"Uh, should I ask what kind of seeds make you become... that?" Sun asked as he looked uncomfortably at Ruby's spasming body. Everyone collectively shook their heads at him.

" **I'm sorry, Ruby. It's a bummer. In reality, you're as dumb as they come** (Ruby: Hey!) **.** **I needed those seeds real bad, and I had to give them up to get your parents off my back." Ozpin ranted.**

Hearing that last part caught the attention of Ruby, Yang, Tai, and Qrow.

"Wait... Parents? Does that mean Summer is here?" Taiyang asked. Really hoping that it was the case, and that it _'The Bitch'_ wasn't. _'The Bitch'_ being the nickname he and Qrow used to refer to Raven, his ex-wife and Qrow's sister, when Ruby and Yang weren't with them, and when the two were absolutely certain that Raven wasn't watching them.

"If Ruby's there. I can only assume so." Qrow answered.

 **Ozpin continued to go on with his rant, wholly ignoring the unresponsive Ruby. "Now we're gonna have to go get more. And then we're gonna go on even more adventures. And you're going to keep your mouth shut 'cause the world is full of idiots that don't understand what's important, and they'll tear us apart."**

Coco pushed her sunglasses upwards and asked. "Soooo, this Ozpin is some old guy that lives in Ruby's family's garage?"

"No he isn't." Alaric cut in. "This Ozpin is that Ruby's grandfather."

That, of course, shocked everyone even more.

Ruby had mixed feelings about that piece of news. She was happy that this version of her was related to Professor Ozpin, having not really gotten to know her own grandparents herself. But was rather disappointed that this Ozpin was essentially an even worse version of Uncle Qrow. A sentiment shared by her older sister.

Ozpin was flabbergasted. He could hardly recall ever having any biological relatives in a... very, very, _very_ long time. Being related to Ruby in this universe was a rather surprising revelation to him, no matter what this universe's version of him was like.

Everyone else was shocked into silence.

" **But if you stick with me, I'm gonna accomplish great things, and you're gonna be part of them. Together we're gonna do all kinds of wonderful things, Ruby. Just you and me, Ruby. The outside world is our enemy. We're the only friends we've got."**

" **It's just Ozpin and Ruby. Ozpin and Ruby, and their adventures, Ruby." The camera than changed to show a close-up of Ozpin's face as he looked down at Ruby. The angle of the lighting, the flickering garage light, Ozpin's unfocused eyes, and his general appearance giving off a crazed scientist vibe to everyone watching. "Ozpin and Ruby forever! A hundred years, Ozpin and Ruby's things. Me and Ozpin and Ruby running around, and Ozpin and Ruby time."**

 **The camera changed back to showing Ozpin bending his back to look down at Ruby, a long line of drool falling from his mouth. Ozpin stood straight, the line of drooling breaking, as he continued to babble on.**

" **All day long, forever. All a hundred days. Ozpin and Ruby forever, a hundred times. Over and over... All hundred years..." The screen panned away from the garage, the garage door closing shut. Once it was, the screen turned to black.**

"So. That was a... thing." Yang awkwardly remarked, breaking the silence.

"Indeed it was." Alaric jumped in before anyone could say anything. "If you have any questions as to what I just showed you, be my guest. But, try not to question a lot of the things I show you. Much of the Multiverse is rather weird. Now, why don't we all take a break? I'm certain you'd all like to think on a few thinks, and maybe use the toilet. The bathroom's behind that door over there. It'll take a while for me to get the next universe to watch ready."

With that, the audience began to disperse and go around the room they were in, doing their own thing. Leaving the Keeper on his seat, staring at his remote and whispering to himself about what it was that he intended to watch next.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood or Destiny/Destiny 2**

 **And we're done. I originally intended this chapter to be a bit longer, but I decided to reduce it to the start and end of the first episode of Rick and Morty.**

 **Anyway, down below is a compilation of the various ideas I have and the plenty of the requests I received. I won't do some of the things you, the readers, have requested, or at least, won't do them for a long while, due to my unfamiliarity with some of the requests. For example, Kamen Rider.**

 **Hope you enjoyed and I'll see ya'll when I next see you.**

 **FUTURE IDEAS:**

 **Lord of the Rings**

 **Red VS Blue**

 **Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail**

 **Star Wars: Battlefront One – 501** **st** **Journals**

 **Warhammer 40,000 – Space Marine, Dawn of War, Dawn of War 2, the Dawn of War 3 Trailer _(one of the few good things about that game)_**

 **G.I Joe Resolute**

 **Fallout 4 – Magnolia Songs**

 **Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain**

 **Aliens VS Predator**

 **ONE-SHOTS AND POSSIBLE FUTURE FANFICS:**

 **The Edelweiss Corsairs** _ **(Inspired from the Storm Hawks cartoon show, starring team RWBY and JNPR. Though, they're more like sponsored privateers or mercenaries than valiant knights)**_

 **World of Dragons** _ **(Alongside Humans and the Faunus, there are Half-Dragons. People with dragon traits, both western and eastern versions)**_

 **Demi-Humans of Remnant – Working Title** _ **(Certain creatures from mythology and folklore live alongside Humans and Faunus. Focuses on a team of 'Demi-Humans' as they go to Beacon)**_

 **Damsel Not in Distress** _ **(A princess is stolen by the Demon King, but they find her to more than what they bargained for)**_

 **The Jade Rabbit _(Velvet is secretly a hired assassin)_**

 **REQUESTED IDEAS:**

 **Smash Bros Trailer**

 **World of Warcraft Cinematics**

 **Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater**

 **Deadpool**

 **Avengers: Infinity War**

 **Overwatch**

 **Borderlands 2**

 **RWBY Chibi**

 **Bioshock**

 **Avatar the Last Airbender**

 **DOOM (2016)**

 **Dark Souls**

 **Monster Hunter**

 **Devil May Cry**

 **Asura's Wrath**

 **College Humour skits**

 **Tom Clancy – Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell**

 **Call of Duty Advanced Warfare – Live Action Trailer**

 **Gundam 00**

 **Metro 2033**

 **Prototype 2**

 **Infamous Second Son Trailer**

 **One Piece _(Haven't watched an episode of this)_**

 **Archer _(Haven't watched an episode of this either)_**

 **Kamen Rider _(I only learnt a few days ago that it was a TV series and a manga)_**


	7. FMAB - Death of the Undying

**Author's Note:**

 **Boy was this a doozy to write!**

 **At the end of this chapter, there's a list of the universes you can choose from for the next chapter. If you want certain changes in plot or specific characters to be whoever the hell is in those universes, put them in your requests. If your request is not one of those in the list, please do put them in the reviews or PM me. Your requests will make fine additions to my collection.**

 **And there's an important notice for those who want a Dark Souls chapter below that.**

* * *

 **Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - Death of the Undying**

Everyone having rested and relieved themselves in preparation for the next universe Alaric intended for them to watch, the audience returned to their couches and chairs. During their short break, they had all thought long and reflected on the things they had seen.

What Alaric was showing them was entertaining, at times humorous, and thought provoking. Alaric was exposing them to worlds of various possibilities, and where their lives were unbelievably different. And the black-clad Keeper planned to show them more, and more, and more.

"So, you all ready?" Alaric asked his guests, having set the universe he intended for them to all watch. Everyone responded in agreed. "Good. Now, let us plunge once more into the seas of the Multiverse."

With that, Alaric pressed the play button, and the TV screen came to life.

 **The screen opens up to the sight of a car driving down a lamp lit road. The car, by Remnant's standards, is old-fashioned, though the buildings along the road are rather similar to modern-day Vale.**

 **The car stops, and the screen changes to show Winter peeking her to look into a gate, followed quickly by four others. A clean-shaven and slightly younger Qrow, a second man with tan skin and dark-blue eyes wearing a balaclava, and two others in intimidating armour. The first of the latter looked particularly fierce, the front of their helmet sinister in appearance and made of bone, with a mane of hair at the back. The second appeared more knightly in contrast, with a long ribbon of white hair at the top of their helm.**

"Look Uncle Qrow. It's you!" Ruby cheered at the sight of seeing her uncle this time around. The veteran Huntsman smirked and said. "Sure is kiddo."

"Huh. I haven't seen you look this clean since you graduated from Beacon." Ozpin commented, quickly causing the alcoholic man to snap his head at Ozpin and shoot him a glare.

Winter had mixed feelings about this. First of all, she was interested as to just what kind of events the other version of her was going to get involved in. Second, she was feeling a great amount of trepidation at the sight of her in the company of Qrow. She was also questioning just who their three companions were, especially the two in armour, something everyone else in the crowd was doing.

" **My body fled here." A voice echoed from the menacing armoured figure. Their voice all too familiar to the Beacon students.**

"Cardin." Coco hissed. When Velvet finally spoke to her team about Cardin and his team bullying her, she had a _long_ conversation with him. Well, then again. We can't call a lot of girlish screams, the near loss of a man's life, and his ability to reproduce, via the repeated application of blunt force trauma by a handbag-minigun a conversation can we?

That was one noisy Tuesday afternoon.

"Wait. What did he mean by 'his body'?" Velvet asked.

" **The Third Laboratory, huh?" Qrow grunted, his voice way more professional than the one belonging to the Qrow watching. "So this ties them directly to the military. That's all we need for now. We're pulling back."**

 **The screen pulled back to show a full view of Qrow, Winter, the masked man, a part of the two armoured individuals. Everyone was surprised by the sight of Qrow being in what appeared to be a blue military uniform.**

"A scientific institute tied to the military? Sure sounds a lot like a certain Kingdom we all know?" Qrow bitterly remarked.

" **Well, you have fun with that!" Cardin yelled as he charged past through the gate and at the building. The man with the balaclava shouting after him, strands of blue-hair poking from his mask. "Get back here!"**

"Hey Neptune, it's you again!" Sun nudged his blue-haired friend. Neptune smiled and said. "Nice."

 **Neptune looked through the gate and watching Cardin burst through the Third Laboratory's door off-screen. "That psycho stormed the building."**

 **Qrow crossed his arms and, surprisingly, said. "Yup, it's our lucky day."**

The Neptune onscreen and the audience expressed surprise at Qrow's words.

 **The screen changed once more to show a group of scientists shriek in fright, before showing Cardin running through the Laboratory's corridors, slashing hap hazardously at the scientists. Curiously, the audience noticed that his right arm was missing.**

" **Hehehe. Out of my way! I don't want any of your boring, old skin and bones! I got me a special reunion to get to!" Cardin yelled almost maniacally.**

"Okay. Just what is going on here? What exactly is this Cardin looking for?" Weiss questioned aloud, directing the question at Alaric.

The Keeper turned his head towards Weiss for a brief moment and replied. "His missing body."

"Th-that makes no sense. He's right there, wearing armour. How could his body be missing?" Weiss continued to ask.

"He's not wearing armour." Alaric cryptically answered, further confusing everyone. By now, I'm guessing, you should have all figured out that Alaric really likes to confuse and screw with the minds of his guests.

 **Changing once more, the screen showed Qrow, Winter, Neptune, and the second armoured figure walking down the corridor. Guns in the hands of the first three. From the armoured individual, the audience could feel a sense of awkwardness from them.**

" **All personnel must evacuate immediately!" Qrow ordered. The Qrow watching was rather irked by how much he sounded like Ironwood.**

 **A soldier in a similar uniform to Qrow, with the addition of a military beret walking up to Qrow, saluting him, and began to speak. "Um, colonel...?"**

"WHAT?!" Ironwood and Winter shouted in alarm. Qrow himself almost spilled his drink. Qrow was most certainly not cut out for a career in the military, not in Atlas or any of the Kingdoms. To learn that he was only a couple ranks below Ironwood was inconceivable to everyone who knew the alcoholic huntsman.

" **Stay back. The man who just broke in is a deranged murderer. My men will handle his capture." Qrow ordered the soldier. "Order your guards to seal off the exits!"**

" **Yes, sir!" The soldier replied as he ran off-screen.**

Qrow, recovering from the previous revelation, smirked once more and smugly began. "Colonel, huh? I'm starting to kinda like where this is going. What kind of salary do colonels get Jimmy? I got a couple debts to pay, and there's some booze I've always wanted to try."

Ironwood looked as if he were about to say something, most definitely something in disagreement, but was cut off by Winter. Who stood up, pointed a finger at the huntsman, and shouted. "HELL WILL FREEZE OVER BEFORE YOU MAKE IT INTO THE MILITARY, BRANWEN! AND THE SKIES WILL RAIN FIRE ON THE DAY YOU MAKE COLONEL!"

Everyone was rather taken aback by Winter's sudden outburst, even Alaric was slightly surprised. He'd seen her in multiple universes, and she did not often lose her cool like she had right now. Winter, upon realising that everyone was looking at her, hastily corrected herself and turned to face her superior.

"General Ironwood, sir. I apologize for my unprofessional break in conduct." Winter said, returning to her usual cool and collected behaviour, though her face, try as she might, was flush with embarrassment.

"Uh, of course. Take a seat, Specialist Schnee." Ironwood replied, he himself not entirely sure how to react to his subordinate's explosion of emotion.

Nora looked to her team, twirled a finger beside her ear, and whispered. "Cuckoo."

 **Returning to the screen, Alaric skipped events forward slightly so that it showed Qrow and Neptune alone together in a dilapidated room.**

" **Doesn't look like anybody's used this lab in a while." Qrow observed as he inspected the messy lab room.**

" **I guess not. What is this stuff?" Neptune questioned.**

 **Qrow looked over to a table and saw a couple notes and a box of surgical apparatus, a hacksaw among the equipment. "I have no idea. But, whatever they did here it was painful for someone."**

"Reminds me of Merlot." Port whispered to Ozpin, who nodded whilst feeling a cold sensation go up his spine. The deranged scientist's experiments were not only illegal, but also gruesome and painful for all subjects involved.

 **The screen focused on the lower half of a woman's face, her lips blood-red. "Well now. I am just shocked."**

 **Both Qrow and Neptune brought their guns up and aimed at the source of the voice. Stepping out from the shadows, a woman in a black strapless-dress that hugged her curvaceous frame, and long black gloves that went up to her armpits covered her arms. Her pale skin was flawless, and a mane of wavy black hair cascaded down her back. Her eyes amber.**

" **It's bad enough you stood me up on our date. Now you point a gun at me?" The woman said, Neptune expressing complete shock on his face upon seeing her. "You've got some nerve. Don't you?"**

"Hey, it's Cinder!" Ruby stated, drawing the attention of the others in the audience.

"Who?" Weiss asked her partner and team-leader. The red-hooded girl realised that her teammate and everyone else was unfamiliar with who Cinder was and began to explain. "Oh, I forgot. You guys haven't met her. Her name's Cinder Fall, she's from Haven."

Ozpin now remembered just who the young woman Ruby was talking about and joined in the conversation. "Hmmm. Yes. I do recall seeing this Cinder's name on the list of students that would arrive at Beacon for the Vytal Festival. Her student record makes her seem like a rather stellar student."

Sun and Neptune, both from Haven, decided to add their two cents. Sun being the one to talk first. "Cinder, huh? You know, me and Neptune are from Haven, and we've never heard of this Cinder before."

"Dude, she's probably a couple years above us. So that'd explain why we'd never met her before." Neptune deduced, a smile growing on his face a moment later as he quietly whispered to his best friend. "Though, I kinda wished we had earlier."

The two boys shared a grin and gave each other a bro fist.

" **Solaris? What are you doing here?" Neptune questioned the Cinder on screen.**

" **Hey, Neptune." Qrow began, the screen suddenly changed to a view of Cinder's chest. Giving the audience an ample view of a red tattoo depicting a hexagram encircled by winged serpent biting its own tail tattooed on her upper sternum. Oh, and a perfect view of Cinder's ample cleavage. "Your girl's got an Ouroboros tattoo!"**

" **Yeah, first I've seen it." Neptune quickly replied. Cinder giggled, her large breasts rose up so that they encompassed most of the screen.**

" **Quit staring. It's not very polite." The screen changed to show a view of Qrow and Neptune's backs, with Cinder at the centre of the screen. The damned temptress having crossed her arms and intentionally made her OOMD (Oppai Of Mass Distraction) bounce a bit.**

" **I see how she tricked you so easily. You've always been a sucker for big boobs." Qrow commented.**

 **Neptune seized up suddenly, before the camera changed to a frontal view of Neptune. His left hand clenched tightly and tears streaming from his eyes, as a bright light shone on him with a couple stars glittering around him. "I CAN'T HELP IT! I LOVE 'EM!"**

Reactions to this short interaction between the three were... mixed.

Starting with the men, the sight of Cinder's OOMDs caused all of them to lose all sense of awareness, and could only look at the screen. Ozpin was the only one not affected because, you know, being a several centuries old immortal wizard made him think it would be absolutely wrong for him to stare at the breasts of a woman way younger then he was. Blood began to trickle down from the noses of the young huntsmen-in-training, same went for the adults. Oscar felt insecure about what he had witnessed and looked away, however, he couldn't help but take quick glances at the screen. He was a teenage boy after all.

The women were... um, a drastic contrast to the men. Most looked on in jealousy, and were seething with hatred as they glared murder at the Cinder on screen. Weiss in particular, for though she had a scandalised look on her face due to the sheer audacity of the other woman's action, she was specially jealous because of how, once again, she was confronted by another woman larger than her. And we're not talking about height here. Nora, being Nora, was unaffected because... Nora.

Alaric was immune to the effect that Cinder's OOMDs had on everyone else. He'd seen larger. In fact, he was secretly beside himself, and was relishing how everyone was reacting.

When the Neptune onscreen declared his love for big boobs, the Neptune watching, Sun, and Qrow, obviously, jumped onto their feet and said as one. "Hell yeah!"

All the girls frowned in disgust at the three, Weiss having a look of betrayal on her face. Neptune, realising his mistake, tried to apologise to Weiss, but was swiftly slapped in the face by the heiress.

"S-SH-SH-SH-SHUT UP! STUPID!" Weiss shouted in anger at Neptune before turning away with a huff and crossed her arms like a tsundere. A small raincloud appearing above her, provided by Alaric for dramatic purposes.

" **Did you tell this woman anything?" Qrow asked Neptune, slightly taken aback by Neptune's reaction. Neptune quickly snapped out of his odd moment and hastily replied. "No. I never said a single thing about work, sir!"**

 **Cinder smirked, but that quickly disappeared when she noticed the hard look on Qrow's face. "Tell me. Do you know who James Ironwood is?"**

" **Oh, he was quite the intelligent man. Wouldn't you agree? I only wish I had the opportunity to pick his brain-" Cinder answered, before a shot rang out, and the woman gasped in shock. Qrow had shot her in the leg.**

The audience, having recovered from the previous moments involving Cinder's boobs _(I'm gonna stop with the whole OOMD thing now)_ , were stunned by Qrow's sudden act. Harming an unarmed individual who had not attacked you first could be counted as a crime in certain parts of the Kingdoms. How Qrow had unflinchingly shot Cinder was even more startling.

"Wait. Am I dead in this universe?" Ironwood turned to Alaric. The Keeper sighed as solemnly said in response. "Yes, you are. Murdered in fact. And how tragic it was. Worst of all, you left behind a loving wife and a young daughter."

That caused all in the audience to go silent.

" **On your knees! I want to know everything." Qrow demanded, anger detectable in his voice.**

" **Sorry to say..." Cinder calmly said, her hand retreating from the gunshot wound, red electricity crackling around it as it appeared to heal itself. "But, it's gonna take more than what you're capable of to make me get on my-"**

 **Cinder was cut off as Qrow shot at her four more times, once on her forehead even. Despite that, and much to the shock of the audience and the two men on screen, Cinder remained standing.**

" **How merciless. Did you pick that up in Ishval? Huh?" Cinder questioned as she stood up straight. The bullet holes that marked her flesh swiftly healing, the woman licking away at some blood that had trailed down her face from the disappearing hole on her forehead.**

"W-What the hell...?" Yang trailed off. Shocked, like everyone, at how she was able to not just survive but heal from such wounds, which would normally be fatal to anyone.

" **Y-You're a Homunculus!" Neptuen gasped.**

" **Indeed. How very astute of you, Neptune. But, I doubt you've seen this one." Cinder said mockingly as she brought up her left-hand, and extended her fingernails into long, razor-sharp claws. She then proceeded to plunge her claws into her chest and pried the flesh open, revealing a blood-red stone. "Take a good look, boys. It's a Philosopher Stone."**

The audience could say and do nothing, but watch in horror and morbid intrigue of just what was before them.

" **I was created with this Stone as my core. It's not just a legend. It's my heart." Cinder continued.**

 **Qrow grunted and half-yelled. "You're a monster!"**

" **Now that was uncalled for. I do have feelings. And apart from a few things, I was made nearly identical to you." The screen focused on Cinder's right eye as she cast a look at them with half-lidded eyes. "I am human."**

"T-There is no way that... _woman_... can be human." Glynda whispered. Behind his mask, Alaric was biting his lip, debating whether or not to go into detail as to just what the Cinder on screen, or Lust as she was known as, was, and the primary component of the stone she had shown them all.

" **I've got a funny feeling the only reason you're telling us this, is because you don't plan on letting us live." Qrow surmised.**

" **Yup. It's such a shame, too." Cinder replied, she suddenly slashed her claws at Qrow faster than the eye could blink. Qrow grunted in pain and backed away slightly, a cut appearing on his right cheek, courtesy of Cinder, and his handgun had been cut in two.**

 **Qrow took out a white glove with an odd, red circle on the back, and quickly slipped the glove onto his right hand. He appeared to be about to snap his fingers at Cinder, but, the female Homunculus slashed her claws upwards, striking a metal pipe, saying. "Too slow."**

 **The pipe fell, and water drenched the two men and pooled on the floor, the both of them wearing stunned looks on their faces at this.**

" **Oh no. Did I get your ignition glove all wet? Silly me." Cinder asked in a mocking manner. Qrow and Neptune turned from Cinder and began to run away in fright, screaming all the way, Cinder right behind them slashing her claws at them.**

"She... can cut through metal? With fingernails?" Jaune said in disbelief. There were a couple semblances out there which were unique, even by Remnant's standards. But the ability to turn fingernails into claws so sharp they could pierce metal, combined with her lightning quick reflexes, and this Cinder's apparent invulnerability, the audience were very intimidated.

Blake was reminded of her father's retractable claws. They were remarkably durable, but they paled in comparison to those of the woman, no, the thing on screen. In fact, she doubted any Faunus with retractable claws could rival the cutting potential of this version of Cinder.

 **The two men slid out of the room and took cover beside the door. Bits of lab equipment flew past them. The screen focused on Neptune, who looked to Qrow and said. "What're we gonna do? She'll shred us with her freaky fingers!"**

 **Unexpectedly, Qrow smirked and responded to Neptune, putting a new ignition glove over his left hadn. "No. She made a big mistake. She flooded the room with water."**

"How is that going to help their situation?" Winter thought aloud.

" **A single transmutation, and we've got hydrogen gas." Qrow continued.**

"Eh, what?" Ruby questioned, rubbing the top of her head in confusion. Everyone else in the audience were unclear as to where Qrow was going with this line of thinking. And most, apart from the teachers, were especially perplexed about what he meant by 'transmutation'.

 **Qrow put his gloved hand on the wet floor, and suddenly, blue electricity coursed through the water. Neptune took out a lighter and threw it into the room. Cinder, initially puzzled as to what was happening, had a look of sudden realisation when she saw the lit lighter. The lighter flew past Cinder and, as it began to fall to the floor, the lighter exploded.**

"What just happened?" Pyhrra asked, looking to Alaric for answers. Though, it was Oobleck who provided an answer.

"Incredible. The Colonel Branwen on screen was able to instantaneously convert water in hydrogen and oxygen in the right concentration required to make the resultant gas explode when exposed to Mr Vasilias' lit cigarette lighter. But how was he able to change the water into gas in the first place?"

 **On the screen, it showed Qrow and Neptune, a cigarette in the mouth of the latter, standing in the ruined lab room. Scorch marks adorned the walls, and whatever furniture was in the room had been reduced to blackened timbers by the explosion. Neptune picked up his ruined light and groaned in disappointment upon seeing its state.**

" **Ah. Crap. This was a gift from one of my ex-girlfriends." Neptune attempted to see if it still worked, but was disappointed by its lack of functionality. He turned to Qrow and asked his superior. "Hey, Colonel. Mind giving me a light here?"**

 **Qrow gave Neptune a stern looked, but the blue-haired man turned away and said. "Oh yeah. You're all wet."**

" **Oh yeah? Well, those things will kill you know that?!" Qrow shouted at Neptune.**

His reaction to Neptune's comment reminded his nieces, his brother-in-law, and their dog, of how Qrow tended to react when his age was brought up.

" **She's dust. I definitely cremated her." Qrow coldly remarked.**

" **How do you know for sure, sir?" Neptune asked, returning to a more serious demeanour.**

" **The stench. I'm pretty familiar with the stink of burned bodies."**

" **You mean from that time you spent in Ishval?"**

Ironwood rubbed the bottom of his chin with his thumb and thought aloud. "What does he mean by that? He's military, so that means he must have taken part in some sort of military action in this place called 'Ishval' they keep bringing up. Incendiary weapons, maybe?"

Alaric steepled his fingers, knowing full well just what was going to happen and in anticipation of his guests' reaction.

" **For all we know, she could still regenerate. So stay alert." Qrow ordered.**

" **Yes, sir." Neptune responded. All of a sudden, from a small pile of burnt wood behind Neptune, two claws shot upward, extended into an unbelievably length, and stabbed him through his lower back and protruded from the front of his body.**

Everyone in the audience jumped in shock at the sudden sight of Neptune being suddenly impaled. They were horrified by the revelation that Cinder had survived the explosion, and even more when they saw what came next.

 **Neptune, grunting in pain, dropped his cigarette and shotgun, and fell to the floor. Standing up from behind him, Cinder's burnt frame emerged, her skin, hair, and clothes rapidly regenerating.**

 **Qrow was now kneeling before Neptune's fallen body, blood stained the area where the claws had stabbed him and was starting to pool beneath him. "Neptune, hang in there!"**

" **Don't kid yourself." Cinder maliciously laughed, flashing her claws at him. "He's a dead man."**

" **No he's not!" Qrow yelled, grasping Neptune's shotgun in his hands, and shot Cinder. The pellets tearing at her face, chest, and even shot off her left arm. She fell backwards onto the floor due to the force of the shot.**

"Go get her uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted, cheering on her uncle on screen.

" **Give up! There's nothing you can do that'll kill me!" Cinder mocked Qrow as she lay on the floor, some of her hair falling to cover her left eye, making her appear more like the way their Cinder looked. Qrow stood over Cinder and plunged his hand into her chest, and grabbed hold of her exposed Philosopher's Stone.**

" **Then you won't mind if I borrow this!"**

"Whoa. He didn't even take out for her dinner first." Yang attempted at a joke, trying to lighten the mood. However, not only was it a bad joke, it was also poor timing.

"God damn it, Yang! Shut up this these stupid jokes!" Weiss shouted at her teammate. "Neptune's is dying right in front of us!"

 **The colonel was able to, with great effort, pull Cinder's Philosopher's Stone from her chest. Cinder gasped in pain and horror before going still, her body turning to dust before them. Qrow returned to Neptune's side, the Philosopher's Stone in hand.**

" **I don't know that much about medicinal alchemy. But, this should amplify my abilities-" As Qrow spoke, the screen focused on the stone in his hand. Red electricity began to crackle around it, and in moments, flesh and sinew began to form around it and Qrow's hand.**

"No freakin' way!" Sun exclaimed.

 **In horror, Qrow turned to see a partially formed Cinder beside him. The sight of her terrified Qrow and the audience as Cinder began to speak. "It seems you should buy a girl dinner first... Before you stick your hand in her chest!"**

 **Qrow struggled to retreat his arm, but Cinder proved quicker, and stabbed him in his side with her claws.**

" **I told you. The Philosopher's Stone is my core." Cinder smugly stated, whilst grasping Qrow's right wrist with one hand, and stabbing him with the other. She roughly pulled her claws out of Qrow and retracted them back to normal length, the colonel falling to the ground in pain.**

" **I really hate to do this." The Homunculus said to Qrow, as she slowly took off his ignition glove. "You were a prime candidate for sacrifice and all. But, you forced me to kill you."**

 **She then proceeded to tear the glove to shreds. Qrow, struggling to form words and overcome the pain, could only say. "Damn you..."**

" **Save your breath." Cinder said sadistically. "I want you to watch poor Neptune bleed to death. Then you can die."**

 **With that, Cinder calmly left the room and disappeared into the shadows of the laboratory. Leaving Qrow struggling to speak to the unresponsive Neptune beside him.**

Alaric brought up his remote and paused the screen, and turned towards the audience. They all took what they had witnessed differently.

Noticeably, Ruby was hugging her uncle tightly and refused to let go. Her family and friends attempted to comfort her. Losing her uncle, or even any of those close to her, was a completely harrowing thought for her. Her mother's death whilst she was only a toddler had left their scars on her, and seeing Qrow dying on screen terrified her to no end.

Neptune took what had happened on screen far better than Ruby, but appeared openly discomforted by what he had seen. And, deciding to keep it to himself, he could feel a tingling sensation of pain in the same spot where the alternate version of himself had just been stabbed. The same went for Qrow. Both men decided to keep this secret, certain that they were the only ones feeling this.

"C'mon squirt." Qrow said to Ruby, gently rubbing the top of her head with one hand. "It's alright. I'm still here."

Ruby still refused to let go of her uncle and only hugged him even tighter.

"Ruby." Taiyang began, taking his turn to speak to his youngest daughter. "Everything's okay. Qrow's still here. We're all here for you. Come on Ruby, it's gonna be okay."

"N-N-No it's not! T-T-T-That Q-Qrow's going to die. Ju-Just like..." Ruby sobbed quietly, her voice failing before she could say more. Yang, angered at the state of her sister, turned to Alaric and opened her mouth to shout at him, but, she found that no sound came from her lips.

The Keeper had put his index finger before where his mouth should be in a hushing manner, willing that everyone in the audience be silent. He then pointed his finger at the screen, everyone obeying his unspoken order to look towards the TV screen as he played the resume button.

 **The scene before them changed to show Winter, Cardin, and the second armoured person standing before a vast door adorned with strange symbols and text within a large room, its walls white, with piping running along its smooth featureless surfaces.**

 **Cardin stood, rather shockingly, over his own corpse. The body was decayed and wearing a crude mask over its face, but, there was no mistaking his orange hair and tall frame.**

" **Sorry. But, you got here too late." The armour said to Winter and her companion in what was obviously Cardin's voice. Once again, the audience was confused as to the trippy shit Alaric was forcing them to watch. For me to write about how they were all confused by what they saw would be redundant, and I'll just be repeating myself.**

" **Look at this mess. My body is nearly entirely decayed. I guess a body can't hold when someone else's soul shoved inside of it." Cardin said, his voice uncharacteristically solemn in tone.**

Oscar unconsciously shuddered at this for reasons he was unsure of. The thought of someone else's soul inhabiting his body felt strange and off-putting to him. Honestly it was a sentiment shared by everyone, though Ozpin, the reincarnating wizard he was, pretended to share the same reaction as everyone else.

"So, Cardin's soul has been forced out of his body. And now inhabits that suit of armour?" Ren spoke up, catching everyone's attention, having cobbled together the clues, and seeming to have been the only one to notice that there was no signs of anyone in the armour. Particularly how there were no eyes staring out of the eyeholes, but red dots.

"Yes." Was Alaric's answer.

 **The person inside the suit of armour next to Winter gasped. To everyone's' surprise, the voice it belonged to was young, belonging to a young girl. Belonging to-**

"Ruby?" Weiss whispered. If what Ren had said about Cardin was true, then, was Ruby's soul also inside that suit of armour? If so, how had this happened and what happened to her body.

' _ **If a soul's incompatible with another person's body, wouldn't it be the same for a soul bonded to a suit of armour?'**_ **The soul inside the armour, Ruby's, thought to themselves.** _ **'If that's right, there's no guarantee I'll be able to stay in this form long enough for us to get our old body's back.'**_

 **The camera showed a view of the insides of Ruby's suit of armour, showing it to be devoid of a wearer. A rune drawn in blood was drawn inside of the suit of armour.**

' _ **Sister...'**_ **Ruby thought, her voice full of worry for her sister, Yang Elric.**

"Am... I in this too?" Yang, having calmed down, asked Alaric. For some reason or another, Yang felt a sensation alike to phantom limb pain in her right arm and left leg. But, chose to ignore it and keep it to herself.

"You are. But you're lacking into a couple of areas." Alaric coyly answered. And he didn't mean her breasts, the Keeper was talking about her height, and two limbs.

 **Footsteps from heeled boots were heard behind the three. Cardin, knowing who it was, chuckled to himself and said. "I was wondering when you were going to show up, Lusty."**

" **Number 66. Care to explain why you're helping the colonel." Cinder, now identified as Lust by the audience, demanded of Cardin, her voice full of disdain. Cardin pointed his cleaver at Cinder and yelled across the room. "I thought it'd be fun to switch things up. Beside, I've wanted to chop you up since I met you!"**

" **You're such a handful 66. And I'm sad to see you here, armour girl. You just had to tag along. Talk about a setback." Cinder bemoaned, directing her words at Ruby. "It's bad enough to lose one, but, now you're forcing me to kill a second sacrifice candidate!"**

The audience furrowed their brows and pondered on Cinder's words. What was all this talk about sacrifice? Were their lives intended by Cinder-Lust, and whoever she worked with or for, to be given up for some secret scheme?

" **Candidate? A second one?" Ruby enquired.**

" **Yeah. You and Mister Gallantry." Cinder smiled as the image of Qrow's body, bled white and cold on the lab room floor, crossed her mind. Cardin, however, was not in a mood to be asking questions.**

" **That's enough of the casual chit-chat, Lust! All I want to hear from you is screaming!" Cardin howled as he charged at Cinder, he leapt into the air, and prepared to slash at her with his cleaver. The audience were rooting for Cardin, a weird thing to imagine, but, having seen what happened earlier. They had little real hope in his chances.**

 **As Cardin neared Cinder, she, with an almost casual swing of her clawed hand, reduced the suit of armour he inhabited into scattered pieces of metal plates that clattered harmlessly onto the floor. The red points that were his 'eyes' vanishing as his helmet fell.**

" **I do hate overconfident men." Cinder sighed, before turning her attention to Winter and Ruby. "Now then, where were we? I think I was about to send the lieutenant to join her superior."**

 **Cinder began to calmly saunter towards the two, Winter, with a gun aimed at Cinder, took in and processed Cinder's words in seconds. Upon figuring out the meaning behind them, her eyes widened and her hands began to shake.**

" **Wait a minute. So, when you said you already had to kill someone... It can't be... you didn't!" Winter questioned Cinder, her voice becoming filled with emotion. "YOU BITCH!"**

 **With that Winter shot at Cinder multiple times with her handgun, striking the Homunculus but never killing her. When the gun in her hand became starved of ammunition, she pulled out a second handgun and emptied its magazine. Once that gun was spent, she took a revolver from its holster and unloaded all of its bullets into Cinder. Through the entirety of the time she did this, Winter has screaming with unbridled fury.**

The raw emotion that the Winter onscreen showed upon hearing that Cinder had killed Qrow took everyone in the audience by surprise. As was mentioned before, Winter was always so calm and collected most of the time, to see her like this was quite something.

Blake leaned over to whisper to Ruby, Yang, and Weiss. "I don't know why. But, I feel like your uncle and your sister in this universe might have-"

The cat Faunus failed to complete her sentence, for behind her, she felt a bone-chilling shadow fall upon her. Looking behind her, Blake sank into the coach when she saw the Winter and Qrow in the audience loom menacingly over her, their eyes red points of light, and a dark cloud surrounding them. Together the two adults said to the terrified teenager. "Finish that sentence, and we end you."

Everyone looked at the pair perplexedly, questioning just how their eyes changed and where the cloud came from. The answer was Alaric, again. Blake wisely decided to not continue with that train of thought, and returned her focus onto the TV screen.

 **Cinder, nsurprisingly, survived Winter's furious onslaught of bullets and quickly recovered from her wounds. Only saying to the lieutenant. "Are you done?"**

 **Winter, seeing how Cinder had survived, broke down into tears and fell onto her knees.**

Weiss looked at her sister, worry in her eyes. Seeing what had happened to Ruby and Yang's uncle made her anxious for her older sister. But seeing Winter, or at least an alternate version of her, crying and looking so pitifully was something she had rarely if ever seen from the eldest of the Schnee siblings.

" **Such a sad and weak creature." Cinder condescendingly uttered at the sight of Winter. "Another typical human."**

 **Ruby's suit of armour stepped in between Winter and Cinder, a determined air about her. "Stand up, lieutenant. You need to get out of here."**

 **The suit of armour that was Ruby clapped her hands together, and suddenly, to Cinder and the audience's amazement, electrical discharge erupted from the floor beside Ruby. Rising from the floor, a spear took shape. Ruby took up this weapon and entered a defensive stance against Cinder.**

How Ruby was able to do that awed and fascinated the audience. She did possess a soul, but likely not Aura as they had observed in previous universes. So just how were they able to do all this?

" **Oh my. It appears you opened the portal." The Homunculus stated in amusement. She extended her claws and effortlessly sliced the tip of the spear into pieces. Before Ruby could react, Cinder stabbed her claws clean through Ruby's right arm, torso plate, gorget, and chin-guard. "Such a shame. You are a perfect candidate."**

 **Cinder extended the claws on her other hand and shot them towards Winter, who just knelt there, oblivious to the danger. Before the claws could strike her though, Ruby blocked Cinder's attack with her arm. Getting stabbed through that part of her body as well.**

" **Listen to me Ruby. Leave me and save yourself." Winter sobbingly order Ruby.**

" **No." Ruby replied, her voice full of conviction and drive.**

" **Run."**

" **I won't."**

" **Go!"**

" **I won't leave you!" Ruby shouted. Suddenly, images flashed through the screen. First, a girl with tanned skin, with brown hair and eyes peeking around a bookshelf. Next, Ironwood tightly hugging a young girl, smiles on both of their faces. Next, copious amounts of blood burst from the joints of Ruby's suit of armour as it fought against an obscured individual. "I'm sick of watching people die! I can't just sit back and take it anymore! I won't let anyone else get killed! Not while I can protect them!"**

Hearing the other Ruby's speech made something stir inside the audience's hearts. It was... well, they couldn't even place what they were feeling.

Inspiration? Perhaps.

Pride? Maybe.

Whatever it was, it wasn't a bad thing. That much the audience could tell.

 **Unexpectedly, a familiar voice spoke up from the doorway behind Cinder. "Well spoken. I couldn't agree more."**

"Qrow?" The Beacon staff, Ironwood, Winter and Taiyang said in alarm.

"Uncle Qrow?!" The veteran huntsman's nieces yelled as one.

 **Ruby, free from Cinder's claws, thought fast and created a wall in front of her and Winter. A violent torrent of fire engulfed Cinder, and would have done the same for Ruby and Winter if the former had not erected the wall.**

 **The fire dissipated and the resultant smoke cleared, showing Cinder had been forced onto her knees. Her back regenerating from the fire.**

" **Looks like I can get you onto your knees after all!" The voice continued. At the door, there stood Qrow, his shirt open to reveal his well-built physique, and the side of his abdomen where Cinder had stabbed him had been burnt. In his right hand was Neptune's lighter, and carved onto the back of his hand was the same circle that was present on his ignition glove.**

' _ **He's using the flint for ignition, and carved a transmutation circle onto his hand!'**_ **Cinder thought in her head.**

Qrow, seeing that the alternate version of himself was alive and fighting, laughed and spoke jovially. "Hahaha. See kiddo, told you things were alright. And man, do I look badass. Wouldn't you agree, Ice Queen?"

The 'Ice Queen', Winter, frowned at Qrow's nickname for her and refused to answer him.

 **The colonel unleashed another surge of fire that engulfed Cinder completely. Fighting against the pain of being burnt alive, Cinder shouted at Qrow. "You should have bled to death by now!"**

" **I seared the wound closed. I came close to passing out from the pain." Qrow answered before unleashing another burst of flame. "You told me I couldn't kill you. But, I'd like to prove you wrong! So let's see, how many times is it going to take!"**

 **Qrow went on to unleash burst after burst of fire at Cinder, each time, the Homunculus let out blood-curdling screams with each blast. But, it didn't seem to be killing her, and she kept on regenerating from the burn wounds that Qrow inflicted upon her. After the sixth gush of flame, Cinder burst from the smoke, fully recovered, but possessing a deranged look on her face, and lunged at Qrow, a claw extended and intended to stab him in the face.**

The crowd jumped at this sight, and both Ruby and Yang hugged onto Qrow's arms. Zwei whimpered and covered ears.

 **Qrow unleashed one final burst of flame, engulfing Cinder, the man standing resolutely while Cinder's claw was centimetres away from his face. The man's barrage of fire ceased, and the two just stood there, immobile. The both of them staring coldly into each other's eyes.**

"D-Did he do it?" Velvet spoke up. Everyone look on, enraptured with what was on the screen. Their grip on whatever they were holding tight.

 **Cinder's claw began to turn to dust, the same went for the rest of her body. As she began to be reduced to nothing, Cinder could only speak these words.**

" **You killed me. I hate losing. But, there are worse ways to die than by the hands of a man like you. I love how cold and focused your eyes are. I look forward to the day those eyes will be wide with agony. It's coming. It's coming."**

 **Cinder's body crumbled away, until only her Philosopher's Stone remained. The stone fell to the ground, and quickly followed. Cinder's last words hanging in the air.**

 **With that the screen turned to black.**

A heavy silence hung over the audience. Cinder's last words were concerning to say the least. What was coming to the world of that universe?

Neptune, concerned for his other self, raised his voice and spoke. "So. Did I make it out of there alive?"

"Yes, though, sadly, you lost the ability to lose your legs and were discharged from the military." Alaric answered. Knowing the questions of the others in the audience, the Keeper continued. "Qrow, Winter and Ruby were able to get out of there alive. And you, Qrow, were able to make a full recovery."

"Wait." Oscar raised his hand shyly. "So, uh, why were Ruby and... um... Cardin? Right? Yeah. How were their souls stuck in those suits of armour?"

Alaric was hesitant to answer Oscar's question. However, he found it ironic that it was Oscar of all people that was the one asking about souls inhabiting suits of armour. Yet, the Keeper still refused to disclose the process by which the two had been bonded to their respective suits of armour. "That, I'm afraid, is something that I cannot tell you. Just know that they both forcibly bonded to their armour, though in Cardin's case for reasons most foul. Ruby meanwhile, she was bonded because her sister couldn't stand the thought of losing her."

Leaving it at that, Alaric brought up his remote and prepared another universe.

* * *

 **Next Chapter: Reader Request Idea (List below)**

 **Chapter 9: 300**

 **Chapter 10: Original Idea**

 **READER REQUESTED IDEAS:**

 **Asura's Wrath _(Asura gets the Dad of the Year Award from me)_**

 **Archer _(No idea what this is honestly. More research to do I guess)_**

 **Assassin's Creed**

 **Attack on Titan**

 **Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **Avengers: Infinity War _(I will do this in later chapters as I mentioned in a previous chapter)_**

 **Bioshock _(Either the first one or Infinite)_**

 **Borderlands 2**

 **Call of Duty Advanced Warfare – Live Action Trailer**

 **College Humour skits**

 **Dark Souls**

 **Deadpool or Deadpool 2 _(I'm unsure whether do this one. Other fanfic writers have done it before, but they did it about Jaune. But who knows, I might change it up so that Mr Pool will be someone other than that overused blonde)_**

 **Devil May Cry**

 **DOOM 2016 _(RIP AND TEAR!)_**

 **Gundam 00**

 **Infamous Second Son Trailer**

 **Jojo's Bizzare Adventures _(I feel like for this one I should do it about the Pillar Men. Either when they wake up, or when von Stroheim reveals the wonders of German science and engineering. That would be interesting, wouldn't it?)_**

 **Jurassic World or Jurassic Park (There Stryker, you happy?)**

 **Kamen Rider _(Still doing research on this, so don't request it. Though, I might thanks to the help of another author. Thanks by the way, you know who you are)_**

 **My Hero Academia _(Never watched this before, but I'll do my research)_**

 **Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater**

 **Metro 2033**

 **One Piece _(Still doing research on what this is about, though I've seen clips of it before, so don't request it)_**

 **Overwatch _(Take your pick from one of the cinematics, but don't ask for the 'Hero' one)_**

 **Pacific Rim**

 **Prototype 2**

 **RWBY Chibi**

 **Smash Bros Trailer**

 **Star Wars _(None of that new trilogy bullshit)_**

 **Tom Clancy – Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell**

 **Walking Dead**

 **Warframe**

 **World of Warcraft Cinematics**

 **Venture Bros**

 **Initially, I thought it would be a good idea to have Glynda as Hawkeye, or have Cinder as Mustang, or even have Qrow and Raven as Edward and Alphonse. But I changed my mind. For Glynda, it's because I think Winter suits Hawkeye better for... reasons. I decided Cinder was better as Lust because of how similar they are. And the last one because I haven't introduced the Bitch yet. That's right, I refer to Raven as 'The Bitch'.**

 **This is that notice I mentioned at the start for the Dark Souls fans and requesters. I personally believe that I will be unable to do the Dark Souls universe justice if I decide to come up with something on my own, and that something from the official content may be insufficient, so I think it would be a good idea to do a chapter based on the content of someone who has done the Dark Souls-verse justice. It's just a random thought, but, I think it would be a great idea to do a chapter where the audience react to a VaatiVidya 'Prepare To Cry' video. For those not familiar, VaatiVidya is a Youtuber who does content based around Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and even Demon Souls earlier in his channel.**

 **For those of you familiar with VaatiVidya, I'm thinking of doing the Ivory King episode. One of the best in my honest opinion. Whether I do this or not is up to you. If another episode would be better, let me know. If you'd prefer I do something original with Dark Souls, or use some of the official content, like trailers, openings, cutscenes, or endings, leave it in the reviews or PM. Just know that I reply to either only on occasion.**

 **I'm taking a rest from writing. Not long, at least four to five days before I get back and start writing the next chapter. May get a bit sidetracked because some crap involving my personal life just came up.**

 **Well, that's all for now folks! I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	8. DOOM

**Author's Note:**

 **Alright, my considerable list of potential future universes has been updated. Thanks to all who requested something.**

 **For those requesting a Fate/stay Night chapter, just know that I won't do it for a while because I don't know enough about it. I am aware of the Fate series and have watched only a couple scenes from Fate/stay Night for myself before starting this fanfiction. I will do it in the future, so don't worry. Oh, and for those who have watched Fate/stay Night, do you or do you not think that a young Glynda would look similar to Saber. I can't be the only one, right?**

 **Oh, and thank you to those who explained in the reviews what Archer was. I'll look into it further to decide whether or not there'll be a chapter to it.**

* * *

 **DOOM**

As Alaric prepared to press one of his remote's buttons, he stopped and turned to the door. The audience following his lead out of curiosity.

The door opened, and stepping through it was one of Alaric's automaton assistants. The automaton closely resembled an Altesian Knight, the android soldiers of Atlas, specifically the latest line, the AK-200. However, the armour plating that covered most of their body was well-polished bronze, and covered their midsection. The bronze plates were also designed to resemble a muscular male body, and its head was crafted to look like a Corinthian helmet.

The automaton bent forward to whisper something to Alaric, who only groaned, and stood swiftly up from his chair. Alaric looked to his guests and said. "A... situation has come up inside the Repository. It shouldn't take too long to sort out, but..."

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!" A guttural, hateful voice boomed from the open door to the Repository, followed soon after by the sounds of what they assumed to be a chainsaw revving, and gunshots as loud as thunder.

Needless to say, the audience jumped in alarm at the voice and sounds, and reached instinctively for the weapons that were not on their person.

"What the hell is going on in there?!" Taiyang questioned Alaric and the bronze-automaton.

"How did this happen, Talos?" Alaric asked the automaton, ignoring the question posed to him.

Talos the automaton responded in a deep voice. "Subject designate [Annoying Red Shit Who Can't Stop Talking] has breached universal barriers again and opened several universes, allowing entities from said universes to enter Repository. Request immediate intervention by Repository Keeper Alaric."

"Damn it, Deadpool!" Alaric growled as he clenched his fists tightly, the lights of the room flickering as the Keeper's temper rose. "Dispatch an alert to all automatons. And-"

Alaric was interrupted when an explosion was heard in the distance, and two men were heard shouting repeatedly at each other.

"MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA!"

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"

"Shit!" The black-clad Keeper swore as he sprinted out the door, followed closely by Talos. The door slamming shut behind the two. In his rush to get outside, Alaric had unintentionally dropped his remote onto the floor.

All of the audience ran over to the door and attempted to open it. Their efforts were unsuccessfully, no matter the amount of force they all exerted on the doorknob or against the door itself. Yang, noticing the dropped remote, picked it up and began examining it.

"Yang, I don't think that's wise." Pyrrha cautioned.

"C'mon, Pyrrha. What's the worst that could happen?" Yang said in response, invoking Murphy's law.

 **The screen opened to the sight of the inside of a wooden house, a man sauntered out of a room in slow pursuit of another man who ran off-screen. The audience choked when they saw the first man wore only a loincloth and said. "Let's get to bashing buts. As well as deeez nuts!"**

"OH GOD!" Weiss shrieked at the sight the half-naked man.

Yang, frantically pressed the button again, the scene on the TV screen changing at once.

 **Now, the audience bore witness to a tall man wearing a hockey mask over his face repeatedly, and brutally, slash a machete at a young woman. Blood splattering the screen as the young woman let out a last few terrified, gurgled screams.**

Jaune felt vomit rise up into his mouth at the sight. He'd never been one for such gory scenes. The teachers, when they saw this, were reminded of a popular movie with a scene similar to what just appeared that aired in movie theatres when they were still students. Qrow and Taiyang remembered how Raven was seemingly unaffected by the violence in the movie, and how Summer had nightmares for two weeks after watching it.

"YANG! Turn the TV off!" Ruby yelled, as she covered her eyes. Yang, seeing a button that bore a symbol that vaguely appeared like an off symbol, hastily pressed it. Of course, it wasn't.

 **Now, a light-skinned man with blue-eyes, close-shaven hair, and stubble said to a woman accompanied by what appeared to be a floating camera-drone. "Report to the ship as soon as possible. We'll bang, okay?"**

"Eh?" The audience were confused by how someone could say that in public. Qrow took the remote from Yang, but, his infamous semblance of bad luck decided it to be a prime opportunity to flare up.

 **Pressing another button got them to see a man's face melt off of his skull. Another button showed a ninja in yellow pull off his mask and reveals his face to be a flaming skull. The ninja then proceeded to breathe fire on a blue ninja who began to, very painfully, burn alive.**

That threw everyone off and made their stomachs twist in horror and disgust.

"WHAT THE FU-?!" Coco screamed in shock.

"My turn!" Nora declared as she snatched the remote out of Qrow's hand and pressed a random button.

 **This time, Taiyang appeared, and he was... singing. "Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you!"**

 **Another button press and it showed Glynda, in a red dress covered in glitter and standing behind a microphone on a small stage, and sang. "You leave me breathless, weak in the knees. I'm feeling reckless, pardon me please. The fallout's blowing through. But baby, it's just you."**

"Nora!" Ren half-yelled at his best friend and took the remote from her. But, not before she had already pressed another button.

 **Ren was now on the screen, though, he was wearing shades and a dark purple four-piece suit, dancing into the screen as a few women were doing yoga and was singing. "Eh, sexy lady! Op, op, op, op. Oppan Gangnam style."**

Ren became frozen where he was, a blank expression on his face as he looked at the alternate version of himself. Glynda took the remote off of him and pressed a button which she had observed Alaric press to turn off the screen and the screen turned dark.

"Thank goodness." Ozpin sighed. "I advise that we do not play around with anything we do not understand fully in the future."

The rest of the audience agreed as the door opened to reveal Talos holding the door open with one of his hands, Alaric standing just at the threshold. He was speaking with someone who shone brightly like a sun. "My thanks for helping sort my... problem, Supreme Grand Master. But, damn it Draigo! Go home, and stop being a sun!"

"NEVER! Not until you have been supplied with high-quality razorblades and HAM!" A manic voice yelled in an exaggerated manner.

"Draigo... Go home. You're no longer needed here." Alaric demanded, his patience running thin.

"The men in my beard command me to stay!"

"Draigo..."

"Very well! BUT! I will return! I shall go, my people need meeeeeeeeeee!" The voice began to grow distant and the bright light rose upwards until both it and the voice faded away completely.

Alaric shook his head once the voice and light was gone, and entered the room. "Talos. Spray some aerosol, perfumed disinfectants, and maybe burn some spices or incense at the places Draigo went through. He smelt like rotting Nurglings and Fenrisian Ale. Oh, and, uh... clean up the bloodstains everywhere."

Talos nodded once and shut the door behind Alaric, who noticed the curious looks he was getting from his guests. "Don't ask. You wouldn't believe what just happened in there."

"That... would probably be for the best." Ironwood agreed, the rest of the audience following suit. It had sounded like a mad house when Alaric left the room.

Penny raised her hand and asked Alaric. "Excuse me, Mr Alaric. But, might I inquire as to who that robot was, his function, and where he came from?"

"Hm. Talos? He was a gift from the previous Keeper in charge of this Repository. He's my primary assistant, and I usually delegate important tasks to him, if I cannot attend to them myself." Seeing his remote in Glynda's hand, Alaric spoke again. "Ah, there it is. I was wondering where my remote went. Thank you for holding onto it for me."

"Yes. You're welcome." Glynda replied, her voice a bit quieter than usual, as she handed the remote to the Keeper.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes!" Alaric pressed a button, and the screen came to life again.

 **The screen came to life once again, though it remained dark, until, a foreboding, red symbol began to form in front on the screen. A voice speaking as it did. "They are rage. Brutal, without mercy. But you... You will be worse. Rip and tear... until it is done."**

Alaric raised a brow in confusion, before looking at the remote and then to his guests. "You messed around with my remote didn't you?"

Seeing no other way out, everyone pointed at Yang, the person who had picked the remote up and messed around with it first. The blonde girl became offended at this and pointed accusingly back at her fellow members of the audience. "Hey! You guys did so as well!"

The Keeper shrugged his shoulder, summoned a foot rest and rested both of his feet on it, saying. "Ah well. May as well get this one over with."

 **The screen changed to a first-person perspective of a person waking from a long slumber. The symbol they had seen before etched and shining brightly on a stone lid over them. Quickly looking around, the person saw that they were in some sort of high-tech, futuristic lab of something.**

"First-person, eh? Neat." Sun said.

"Huh, this room appears highly advanced technologically. More so than anything I've seen in Atlas." Winter commented, receiving hums of agreement from Ironwood and Penny.

 **The person they were seeing this universe through attempted to stand up from the stone slab they lay on, but found that a pair of iron manacles chained them to what appeared to be a stone box. As they struggled against the chains, something snarled at the person.**

 **Facing the direction from where the snarl came from, they saw a human shape slowly shamble over to the chained person. The person in chains pulled at the manacle around their right wrist, and, with enough force, broke free from their restraints, backhanded the 'person' approaching them and proceeded to grab hold of the side of their head.**

 **What the audience saw shocked them.**

"Is that a zombie?!" Jaune yelled in alarm and some fright. The thing before them wore the torn remains of a white suit, its skin pinkish and covered in odd growths. And where once a person's nose and eyes would be, there was only a single gaping hole that burrowed deep into the thing's skull.

"Possessed." Alaric corrected. "But, zombies are an apt description as well, I suppose."

"Possessed by wonder, dare I ask?" Port questioned.

Alaric looked at his left hand and tried clapping it on its own as he replied to Port. "The energies of Hell."

 **The Possessed tried snapping its mouth at the person's hand, bet, they handily slammed the Possessed's head on the edge of the stone box. The creature's head exploding of bone and brain matter.**

Some in the audience turned away at the sight of such gory violence. Sure there had been blood before, but not to the degree that someone could explode a former-human's head by slamming it against stone.

 **Breaking free from the other manacle, the person stood up and saw three more of the Possessed shamble towards them. They dropped from the stone slab, their feet meeting cold metal floor, and found a pistol on the floor beside where they had rested.**

 **Acting quickly, the person picked up the pistol and shot at the Possessed. Instead of conventional bullets however, the pistol shot small beams of blue directed-energy at the Possessed. Three shots to the heads of the Possessed resulted in the vaporisation of three heads. Needless to say, Ruby was very interested in the pistol, though, she hoped for something larger and more impressive.**

"Well, this person seems to be skilled at least in the use of firearms." Ozpin murmured before taking another drink from his coffee mug.

Yang was a bit bored with what they were watching. Sure killing zombies was cool and all, but she preferred fights where a person used their fists. Well, she was going to get that soon enough.

 **The person examined the pistol quickly, and looked at where they had been previously held. Curiously, it appeared that they had been confined to a sarcophagus of some sort. Moving on, the person walked over to the door to the room they were in, and saw an interactive screen beside it. The words,** ** _'FORENSIC REPORT. PLAYBACK AVAILABLE',_** **were present on it. Without a second thought, the person tapped on the screen, and blue holograms appeared.**

 **There were holograms of four people kneeling before the sealed, stone sarcophagus, and a fifth person entering the room. He had dishevelled grey hair, a moustache and beard, his left eye had been replaced by a robotic, red one. And the rest of his body from the neck down had also been replaced with cybernetics.**

 **"** **We have to contain this." The man pondered aloud.**

"Merlot." Ozpin mumbled quietly to himself. He and the older members of the audience recognised the mad founder of Merlot Industries.

"Uh, who?" Ruby asked, not really knowing who Merlot was.

Glynda sighed, and decided to explain to the young huntress-in-training. "Merlot was a... controversial scientist who experimented on the Grimm. His experiments were a contributing factor to the fall of Mountain Glenn."

"Wait. Wasn't the person we're viewing this universe through in that thing? If he was, why was he? And why did this Merlot guy say they had to 'contain' this?" Neptune questioned. Now that was a real head-scratcher to the audience wasn't it?

 **Turning away from the holograms as they dissipated, the person entered the opposite room, the doors having opened, and was welcomed by quite the sight. For on the other side, entombed in stone like they had been, was a suit of advanced looking, green armour. For some unknown reason, the suit seemed to scream 'badass' to the audience. The suit was for a large, muscular individual it appeared, but also, judging by its shape, was meant for a woman.**

 **As the person's hands touched the chestplate of the suit, a series of images flashed across the screen, too fast for the audience to track. The screen changed back, but, it was no longer the first-person point of view from before. It was showing the armoured boots of the person as they finished putting the last pieces of it on, the camera panning upwards.**

 **When it finally reached their head, the audience were startled by who the person was. For, before the person put the helmet on their head, they saw that the person was Yang.**

The blonde-haired teen in the audience almost fainted at the sight of the other her. For her hair. Her glorious, lustrous, absolutely fantastically magnificent mane of hair had been cut short, and reduced to a pixie cut.

 _*THUD*_

No wait. My bad, Yang has fainted.

In an instant, Yang's friends and relatives were by her side and were attempting to revive the unconscious girl. Try as they might, none of them could revive Yang, for she had entered an unresponsive state. Alaric snapped his fingers, and in response, Talos entered, a bucket and a mop in his hand,

The Keeper wordlessly pointed his finger at Yang, the automaton understanding his unspoken order and entered a nearby closet. He emerged with another bucket, this time empty, and went over to the nearby sink and proceeded to fill it with cold water. Talos stood above Yang and, in a wholly unexpected move, splashed the bucket of cold water at Ruby. The young red-hooded girl shriek loudly once the water crashed over her, and, in response to her sister's alarm, Yang bolted up.

Awake and ready to kick ass.

"Who touched my sister?!" Yang cried, her eyes turning red and her hair starting to simmer into a fire. Her unconscious state broken by her 'big-sister senses'.

"Good. You're awake. Please stay that way for a while longer please." Alaric said in amusement. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Talos returned to the closet and left the room, his mop and bucket in hand. The water all over Ruby dried, and actually felt and smelt like they had just been through a washing machine.

"Now, back to business." Alaric continued as he pressed the resume button.

 **The TV screen had skipped forward, and now showed a fully suited Yang fighting through the complex. Alarms were constantly ringing. Blood could frequently be found splattered on the floor or walls. The occasional mutilated body of a facility worker or guard could be seen.**

 **A lithe creature with reddish skin, an Imp, leapt into view and threw a flame-like ball of energy at Yang. The ball impacted Yang's chest, but it did not stop her. In her hands was a double-barrelled shotgun and blasted the creature's torso apart in a single shot of the weapon.**

 **Still running forward, Yang reloaded her weapon. Another Imp leapt at Yang, but she caught it with one hand, and threw it onto the ground. The Imp tried to get onto its feet, but, a heavy boot fell on its chest and the twin barrels of Yang's shotgun was jammed into its mouth. With a single squeeze of a trigger, the Imp's life was ended.**

 **Yang turned and narrowly avoided a blast from the arm-cannon of a Possessed. She charged at it, and, in a brutal display of strength, punched the Possessed so hard that its head exploded in a mess of gore.**

The audience were astounded by this display, Yang in particular. She was strong sure, even more so when her semblance activated, but she'd never punched something so hard that it could, well, explode. The thought kind of felt wrong to Yang, but, she secretly wanted to see if she could make the head of a Beowulf explode if she punched hard enough.

Nora was not as impressed as everyone else. She'd made the body parts of enemies explode before. The body parts of Grimm, that is. She'd never done it to a human or a faunus before. Ren was in a similar state of mind, for he had borne witness to Nora's feats of exploding Grimm body parts. Like all things regarding Nora, things such as that are only scary after a few times. She didn't do it regularly, but Ren was used to it by now.

 **A bestial roar erupted from further down the corridor. Looking upwards and towards the source, Yang saw a huge creature standing on two legs, its body was muscular, and its skull-like head possessed no eyes. A Hell-Knight. The beast ran and broke into a charge towards Yang. As it ran at her, Yang holstered her double-barreled shotgun somewhere, brought up a belt-fed Heavy Assault Rifle and fitted a small missile-pod to it. She fired five 12mm rounds into the front of the Hell-Knight, slowly retreating backwards from the charging hellspawned monster.**

 **Once the Hell-Knight was close enough to Yang, the hellspawned monster rose its arms and brought them down in a ground pound. Yang jumped back and unleashed all the micro-missiles in the missile-pod attached to the Heavy Assault Rifle at the Hell-Knight. It was not killed, but was stunned for a moment. A moment that Yang capitalised on.**

 **Putting her Heavy Assault Rifle away for a moment, where I'm not sure, and began pummeling the Hell-Knight with her armoured fists thrice before grasping its head and snapping it a full 180 degrees.**

The brutality displayed by this other version of Yang when she dispatched these monsters staggered the audience.

Yang turned her head to Alaric and uneasily asked him. "Uh, this version of me isn't a total psycho, right?"

Alaric made to answer but on screen, Yang split an Imp's head in half... with her hands. "I'd prefer not to describe her as a psychopath. She's just... angry. Yeah, angry."

 **The sound of a motor being revved came from the TV, turning back towards it, the audience saw Yang proceed to charge and mercilessly sink the chainsaw's blades into another Imp.**

"Very, very, very angry."

 **Now, Yang was mowing down hordes of Imps, Possessed, and Hell-Knights with a six-barreled Chaingun. Tearing apart the endless hordes of demonic monsters without any mercy.**

"Wait, wha-?" Alaric questioned. That scene was further along this universe's timeline. The Keeper then realised that he had accidently pressed the skip forward button. "Hold on please, ah, here we go."

 **They were now back to where they had been, Yang pulling her chainsaw free from the Imp's dead corpse. She took a moment to appreciate her work when she heard something... growling at her from behind. Turning slowly, Yang saw, in the flickering internal lights of the facility, the tall, brutish, goat-legged, pink-skinned, and horned Baron of Hell.**

 **Without hesitation, Yang brought up a Gauss Cannon and aimed it at the Baron's head. Before she could blow the demon's head into tiny pieces, another Baron suddenly burst out of nowhere, grabbed hold of her and threw her so hard that she crashed through a wall and into a conveniently large room that was large enough to serve as a battle arena. Funny how those sorts of things happen, right?**

 **Both Barons followed after Yang by tearing the hole she had left behind even wider, letting out predatory growls as they advanced on Yang. Yang nonchalantly got back up onto her feet, cracked her neck, and prepped her Combat Shotgun**.

"Hmmm, this other me... sure is kind of a badass, eh guys?" Yang asked her friends and teammates. Most of the audience looked at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Uh, Yang. This other you is a complete psychopath." Blake said in response.

"Indeed. The level of violence this version of you inflicts on these monsters is rather excessive, and may be mentally unstable." Oobleck speculated. Sure there were Huntsmen who were extremely violent when in combat with the Grimm and took joy in killing the creatures of darkness. But this... this was something else.

 **One Baron conjured and threw a green fireball at Yang, she ducked it, but the second leapt forward and attempted to slash at her with its claws. The Baron's strike connected, and Yang staggered backwards because of it. Claw marks marred the front of her armour's green chesplate. Recovering quickly, Yang charged up her shotgun and unleashed a burst of three shells in quick succession of each other at the Baron's face. It covered its face with its right arm and then proceeded to swipe it at her.**

 **Yang sidestepped the attack and fired her shotgun at the Baron's face. The pellets tearing at the flesh of the demon's face, but not killing it. The first Baron of Hell came forward now, and lunged its left arm at her. She jumped back and shot at the Baron twice with her shotgun.**

"Uh, something doesn't seem right. I mean, shouldn't Yang need to reload by now?" Fox pointed out the bizarre fact that she indeed had not reloaded her weapon, but continued firing.

Alaric snorted and replied. "Feh, reloading! Reloading is time wasted not killing something."

The Keeper's guests couldn't disagree with that way of thinking. I mean, it was annoying to have to reload in the middle of battle, but, Alaric hadn't really explained to them just how she didn't seem to need to reload. "But-?"

"Shhhhhhh. Don't think about. She just can." Alaric hushed before returning the audience's attention back to the TV screen.

 **Retreating backwards, Yang put away her Combat Shotgun and took up a Rocket Launcher from nowhere.**

"How-?" Winter wanted to ask, but decided not to. She was more than certain that the answer she'd get would either be annoyingly cryptic or she wouldn't get an answer at all.

 **Quickly locking onto the first Baron and unleashed three rockets at the monster, the explosive ordinance blew off chunks from the Baron's torso. But it didn't die, however, it would be in a couple seconds.**

 **Yang jumped up and grabbed at the Baron's left horn and pulled it's head close to the ground. With no small amount of effort, Yang tore the Baron's left horn off, and then proceeded to brutally bash the side of the Baron's head with the horn. The blow killed the Baron, the beast collapsing limply onto the floor.**

That was... disturbing for the audience to see. Really disturbing.

 **The other Baron leapt over the corpse of its fallen comrade and, with a fearsome roar of unrivalled hatred, the Baron grabbed hold of Yang with both hands, and attempted to but Yang's head off. She stopped it by punching it across the face, followed shortly after by a headbut. The cracking of bone was heard as the front of Yang's helmet smashed against the Baron's face. The Baron let go of Yang, but she grabbed onto its shoulder and clambered up so that she stood on its shoulders.**

 **Once there, she brought out another weapon, the likes of which the audience had never seen before. A weapon of intense destructive potential. A weapon worthy of a god. Or at least, a pure badass.**

 _ **The**_ **BFG 9000.**

"Whoah, look at that thing." Coco said with a whistle. That Chaingun she saw this Yang wield peviously really appealled to her. But this, she felt strangely drawn to the weapon. A certain weapon nerd also feeling the same.

Ruby had been taking in every detail of the weapons the 'totally-no-a-psycho' version of her sister used. From the pistol to the Combat Shotgun. She was disappointed that she didn't get to see what the Gauss Cannon would do. But this weapon, oh boy, this weapon she felt that this weapon would be awesome.

The Yang in the audience was admiring this other her's abilities in a fight. Sure she was incredibly brutal, but damn it, she was badass. And there was nothing that would dissuade her from that.

The others, though mildly disturbed, were interested as to the origins of these monsters, and more immediately, what the weapon Yang now wielded.

 **The Baron tried to shake Yang off of it and reached its arms up to grab or swat her off its shoulders. Yang punched it on the top of its head, stunning it, and most likely fracturing its skull, and aimed the BFG at the Baron's head. The weapon began to charge, green lightning arcing off of the weapon.**

 **Once it was fully charged, Yang fired and unleashed a great, bright green ball of plasma energy that vaporised most of the Baron's body as it tore its way through the Baron's head, torso, and crotch, before exploding upon contact with the ground in an incredible explosion that destroyed also destroyed the Baron's legs. Yang landed on the floor with both feet, more or less unscathed. She took a moment to look at the bloody remains of what had been two Barons of Hell, before starting to walk away into a corridor. Reloading her double-barrelled Super Shotgun in anticipation of the next minion of Hell she would rip and tear.**

 **The screen faded to black.**

The audience, needless to say, were beyond shocked by the capabilities of the BFG 9000. Only the weapons mounted on Altesian mechs could match the power of the BFG. Never had they seen a weapon of that potential wielded as a portable, hand-held weapon in the hands of an individual before.

Nora turned her head to her Ren-bear andd said. "Ren-"

"No Nora." Ren interrupted her, knowing just what she was going to say. "You are not getting that weapon attached to Magnhild."

"What? But why not? C'mon Ren, it's totally-" Nora began to go on a long speech about attaching the BFG 9000 to Magnhild was totally a good idea (which it's not).

"Should I even ask how the people of that universe are capable of producing such weaponry?" Ironwood asked Alaric. Alaric hummed and replied. "If I recall, it involves the extraction and harnessing of the very energies of Hell itself into a source of energy-"

"I shouldn't have asked." Ironwood sighed, a flask of alcohol materialising in his hand thanks to the Keeper.

Yang thought it time to pose her question. "Hey Al, what's the story with that version of me? She seemed way more than angry."

"Can't say much about her, I'm afraid." Alaric replied. "Information regarding that version of you is prohibited to me and other Keepers of the Repositories. Just know that this Yang isn't known by that name. More commonly, she is the Doom Marine, the Doomgirl, or the Doomslayer."

Yang smiled at the names that other her was known as and said to her friends. "Heh, told you that she's a badass."

"Oh please, not only is she a violent pyschopath, she also has some dumb names as well." Weiss snorted. This didn't go over well with Yang, and the two began to argue over how best to describe Yang the Doomslayer. Ruby and Blake being unfortunately caught in the middle, and being forced to pick a side by their two teammates.

Alaric smiled and prepared the next universe the audience they would watch.

* * *

 **Next Chapter: 300**

 **Chapter 10: Original Idea**

 **The fight with the Barons of Hell was supposed to be longer, but I couldn't think of how to do so. So I decided on what we got, because coming up with my own action scenes and then writing them is difficult.**

 **Right. Chapter 9 has already been decided, but, below will be a list of Original Ideas that I've thought up of for Chapter 10. A couple may turn into future fanfictions if I like how they turned out. And at the bottom of Chapter 10 will be a list of what universes or potential universes will be at which chapters.**

 **ORIGINAL IDEAS LIST:**

 **The Jade Rabbit \- Leading a double-life, the shy, kind, and adorable Velvet Scarletina is secretly an assassin-for-hire.**

 **Still thinking on a name for this one \- Life on Remnant is crazy enough with monsters of darkness wantng to claw your face off, and people with animal traits walking around. But, when you add beings from myth into the mix, it gets a whole lot worse. A young elf attending Beacon will experience first-hand how crazy things can be.**

 **The Edelweiss Corsairs** **\- Forced from the surface because of the Grimm, the remaining populace of Remnant live on floating cities and platforms. Captain Weiss Schnee and her crew of misfits seek to be the greatest crew of the Sky Kingdoms' new protectors and explorers. They are not Huntsmen, they are Corsairs.**

 **Damsel not in Distress \- A Demon Lord bites off more than he can chew when his minions capture a mortal princess and bring her back to his realm. She was supposed to be a helpless captive. She turns out to be the biggest nuisance he's ever encountered.**

 **Immortal – Beacon's janitor, Silvanus Thorn, has more than a few skeletons in his closet. A centuries old immortal, Silvanus keeps an eye on the latest generation of Remnant's protectors, and his old friend. The Wizard.**

 **That's all for now. I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	9. Immortal

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay everyone, I've decided to stop with the whole telling you what the next five chapters will be next because it actually puts a lot of stress on me. I tried to write a chapter about 300, but my heart wasn't into it. So, from now on, I will only state what the content of the next chapter will be focused on when I am _absolutely_ certain that I intend to write it. I will still present options and the potential universes that may be done at the bottom of some chapters.** **Anyway, with that out of the way, let's go.**

* * *

 **Immortal**

 **The screen opens up with a scene of devastation and death. It had once been a prosperous city, with great stone walls, bustling marketplaces filled with all sorts of goods, taphouses filled with drunken merriment, and guarded by stalwart and proud warriors. The city had been the center of a fledgling kingdom, the rate of this nation's growth rivalled only by its rising wealth and prosperity. Was that why the Grimm had come in their hateful multitudes? Was such a symbol of man's strength, unity, and the achievements accomplished when they had an abundance of both drawn the Grimm to the city? To snuff this promising spark before it grew into a beacon?**

 **Whatever the truth, the city had fallen.** **The walls had been breached. The marketplaces empty. The taphouses were ruins. And all of its warriors slain to a man.**

The audience felt sorrow upon seeing the scene before them. News of villages and even small towns were known to disappear from the face of Remnant on occasion, but the thought of a whole city falling to the Grimm was hard for them to process. Modern technology helped ensure that the city's of today were safer and more secure from Grimm assualts than ever before. But this universe showed how the people of Remnant's past were not so lucky.

Ren and Nora unconciously held each other's hand tightly.

Ozpin had seen such devastation before, but it never stopped him from feeling regret. If only he had succeeded so long ago.

 **They were now at what had once been the central plaza of the city. Here, the remaining warriors and civilian militia had made a desperate last stand against the Grimm. They were all dead now, all except for one.**

 **Having collapsed onto his knees, the last warrior's iron lamellar armour was ruined, and the blade of the straight sword in his hand was notched and broken above the hilt. From underneath his red-plumed helmet, tired green eyes surveyed the fallen all around him. His breathing was ragged. And the wounds he had received as he fought alongside his brothers-in-arms against the Grimm bled streams of his precious, red lifeblood.**

 ** _'This was all worth it.'_ The warrior thought. He and his comrades had fought like tigers, and had defiantly matched the Grimms' ferocity with their own. In fact, all the Grimm that had attacked the city had been slain in the warriors' desperate last stand.** **He smiled at that. The last Grimm, a Beowulf, he personally slew by thrusting a spear into its open mouth and stabbing his broken blade into its heart.**

 **He hoped that the people who had escaped would remember him and his brothers. That when, or if, they or anyone came to the city, they would find the bodies of their sons, brothers, husbands and fathers here, and know that they died valiantly.**

 **This was a good death, the green-eyed warrior supposed.**

The audience were moved by this. It was an expectation of all Huntsmen that they defend the Kingdoms' and their citizens, with their lives if necessary. Though, they were expected to do so only in the most desperate of situations, for Huntsmen were in short supply in truth, and replacing their losses was costly and took time. The last stand of this warrior and his comrades reminded them of the ultimate sacrifice that they may one day have to pay while on the line of duty. The adults understandably understood this better than the students.

"Hey, who's that over there?" Velvet said as she noticed that there was someone looking on the plaza, and the warrior, from the shadows.

 **The camera focused on him, revealing that it was a bearded old man with green eyes wearing a green, wide-brimmed hat. The old man looked at the warrior, and stroked his beard in thought.**

The younger members of the audience did not know who this old man was, but Ozpin and his inner circle knew. For this was Ozpin, or at least, one of his earlier incarnations.

 **He'd watched the city fall from a distance, and it had saddened him. The four maidens who had visited him had sparked a desire in him to go back out into the world and interact and help the people he had abandoned in his solitude. The city was the largest settlement near his home, and he felt the sting of regret upon seeing what was once such a prosperous land fall.**

 **While his four new friends had shown and reminded him of the good things he had in life. This warrior had shown him the intense will and strength that people displayed to keep that which they held dear in life. subsequently reinvigorating his own will and strength.**

 **Though he had granted his new friends powers beyond the capacity of mere mortals, there was no guarantee of them being invincible with those powers. They needed a guardian, someone who would protect them from the Grimm and those who would eventually seek out their powers for personal gain. There was only so much he and the people his friends trusted could do to protect them, if they had a protector of the same drive and might as this warrior however...**

 **Making up his mind, the old man prepared a spell and cast it on the warrior. The screen abruptly darkened.**

Most of the audience were confused by what had transpired. What was the power that these four maidens wielded that needed protecting so much. A thought crossed the minds of the huntsmen and huntresses-in-training, could it be... No, that was simply a fairy tale nothing more. Another thought that coursed through the minds of the audience was what the old man, Ozpin, had done to the warrior.

"Uh, is it over? It can't be right?" Jaune asked Alaric, his answer came when the screen brightened to show the familiar sight of Beacon Academy.

"Hey look! It's Beacon!" Ruby cheered.

Taiyang smiled at the sight of his old academy. Being a single dad with two teenage girls, as well as a teacher at Signal, meant that he didn't have too much free time to himself, putting a dent in his social life. He hadn't seen Beacon in years, but seeing it again, and with his daughters attending it made the man happy. Though, his mood dropped when the camera changed and focused on a specific part of Beacon. Its cafeteria.

It's absolutely ruined cafeteria to be exact.

Tables were everywhere. Food scattered about. Two holes marked the ceiling. A pillar had fallen. And the far wall of the cafeteria had not only been cracked, but was decorated by all sorts of food stuffs that had splattered against it.

"How did this happen?" Winter frowned, appalled by the chaotic scene. Team RWBY and JNPR sunk into their seats and remained silent, but not Sun though.

"Oh yeah, it was so cool! Team RWBY and JNPR got into a food fight." Winter, Taiyang and Qrow snapped their heads towards Sun, who continued to explain. "Yeah, Weiss used a swordfish like her sword. Blake and Pyrrha fought each other with baguettes, but Blake changed it up with some sausages and Pyrrha controlled soda cans like some sort of superhero. Yang used two whole turkeys like her gauntlets. Ren used celery sticks. Nora used a metal pole with a watermelon on one end. Jaune was... uh... Jaune. And Ruby ran so fast she sent _everything_ flying towards the back wall."

Those who did not go to Beacon looked on in disbelief. Taiyang looked to Ozpin and began grilling him for an explanation as to why he hadn't been informed about this. "Oz. Why didn't you tell me my girls were got into this amount of trouble in Beacon?"

"Tai, they were simply children having fun." Ozpin calmly replied, before cheekily continuing on. "Beside, I do recall that you too got involved in some rather interesting situations while you and your team were attending Beacon."

Oscar rose his hand, drawing everyone's attention, and curiously asked. "You guys serve swordfish during, what was that, breakfast?"

Alaric jumped in before any one could say another word, and directing them back to the screen. "Question that later and in your own time, watch this."

 **Different from what had happened in their universe, Glynda had not cleaned up the cafeteria. That job was left to the members of team RWBY and JNPR as a form of punishment by the combat teacher. But, they weren't doing it alone. For helping them was a man with greying brown hair and green eyes, wearing a grey jumpsuit and cap, a green Beacon symbol emblazoned on the cap and on his jumpsuit's left breast pocket. Attached to a lanyard, an ID card showed a picture of his face and his name, _'Silvanus Thorn'._**

 **"You kids really got into trouble this time, didn't ya'?" The man said to the teenagers with a gravelly voice.**

 **"It was Nora's fault!" Yang pointed her finger accusingly at Nora. The girl had a look of betrayal on her face at this accusation, but she shouted back.**

 **"SLANDER! LIES! You can't prove anything! I'm not guilty until you can prove that in a court of law!"**

 **Silvanus shook his head at this and continued to clean the cafeteria wall with Ruby.**

The members of the audience who attended Beacon, or at least understood its inner workings, they recognized his jumpsuit to be the uniform of the Beacon Support Staff. Particularly the Cleaning Division, janitors.

These were people without their Auras unlocked, though sometimes there were a few who had because they were either dropouts from Beacon, or graduated huntsmen who couldn't find employment in the wider world. Their duties ranged from IT maintenance and management, financial management, pilots, and cleaners. Students did not really interact with them often, it had almost become an unspoken rule among them that they do not interact with the Beacon Support Staff unless it was necessary.

 **As he cleaned, Silvanus assessed each of the students. He had made it his mission to get acquainted with them. Ozpin had taken an interest in the two teams and was paying them special treatment and attention, and Ozpin's interest brought with it the potential of great disaster and misery for the target of said attention. He should know.**

The two teams were confused and scratched their heads at this. Did Ozpin really pay them special treatment and attention? How did that spell 'potential disaster and misery' for them? What happened to this man?

 **"Ugh, thank you for helping us, Mr Thorn." Ruby graciously thanked Silvanus as she scrubbed away at the wall that she had colourfully painted with food.**

 **"Don't worry Ruby, it's my job. And you'd probably collapse the entire building if you were all left alone to do this. Just like when you blew up the entire Dust Studies room with a sneeze." Silvanus jokingly remarked. Ruby pouted and replied. "It was an accident, and all Weiss' fault! She should stop shaking vials of Dust in peoples' faces!"**

Winter frowned and looked to Weiss. "You still aren't doing that, are you Weiss?"

"N-No." Weiss akwardly replied with an embarrassed expression on her face. Everyone was looking at her now, was this something she had done on more than one occasion before? "Don't look at me like that!"

 **Back on the screen, Ruby and Silvanus continued speaking to each other.**

 **"Anyway, tell me Ruby. Why did someone like you decide to want to become a huntress." Silvanus asked.**

 **"Oh, well, my mom was a huntress, my dad is a huntsman, and my super cool uncle's also a huntsman. I guess, with some many people around me being huntsmen. and hearing all their stories about being one made me want to be a huntress as well." Ruby confessed. "I also read a lot of stories about heroes and-"**

 **Silvanus stopped listening, he'd heard all that he needed. He liked Ruby. She was a nice girl, kind, caring, and looking to do her best for others. Ruby had told him that Ozpin had admitted her into Beacon personally. Silvanus knew Ozpin well, and only one other person could say that they knew him better or longer, and the janitor had learnt to always suspect that Ozpin's every move to possess a strategic purpose behind it. And Ruby's admission into Beacon two years before the standard was one such move.**

 **Her being a Silver-Eyes was very likely the reason behind that.**

The audience were now getting an idea as to why Silvanus was spiteful to Ozpin, the Ozpin of this universe was probably very manipulative, and had used Silvanus in a scheme somewhere in the past. Good thing their Ozpin wasn't like that, right? Right? Though, how all this related to the scene they had seen previously still stumped them.

"'Silver-Eyes'? What's that?" Ruby questioned, confused as to what that meant, and what that meant for the other her. Taiyang and Qrow looked to Ozpin, silently asking whether or not they should tell her. However, Alaric made that decision for them.

"Silver-Eyes are part of an old legend in Remnant. Due to how rare your eye colour is, people assumed silver-eyed people were somehow chosen for something, and had unique powers that bordered on magical, divine even. Specifically, the Silver-Eyes were believed to be nigh unstoppable warriors in battles against the Grimm. Though, it is just a legend. So not much stock should be put into it."

"Oh, okay." Ruby said as soon as Alaric was finished.

 **It wasn't just Ruby that Ozpin had no doubt allowed into his academy because their presence and future as a huntsman or huntress would greatly benefit him in his war.**

 **There was Weiss Schnee, she was an obvious one. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, her training in Beacon would help shape her into someone more likely and willing to aid Ozpin and his secret order once that scumbag, Jacque, finally kicked it. And her glyphs, did she, or anyone, ever question how it was possible that the Schnees' of all people possessed a hereditary semblance?** **A unique occurence that was practically unheard of anywhere else.**

 **Blake Belladonna. It took a bit of research, but once you swept away all the smoke and got your hands dirty, he had to congratulate Ozpin for catching such a prize fish. Blake Belladonna, daughter of Ghira Belladonna, chieftain of Menagerie and former leader of the White Fang. If she was properly whipped into shape, she could potentially take up her father's stead and become the leader of not just the Faunus of Menagerie, but also become High Leader of the White Fang as well, and turn the organisation away from the path it was taking.**

 **Yang Xiao Long. She was less important, but, she was important nonetheless. She was Ruby's sister, but more importantly, the daughter of two of Ozpin's agents, her mother being a former agent. An agent who knew far too much than what he was willing for anyone outside of his trusted few to know. Didn't help that she was also the leader of an infamous bandit tribe. How Yang could be used Silvanus was uncertain, but he'd keep an eye on her all the same.**

 **Jaune Arc. A foolish boy who had come to Beacon unprepared and unqualified for the academy in the first place. His transcripts? Fake. But Ozpin saw potential in him, and allowed him into his academy, presumably due to his lineage to the Arc family, a family renowned for the warriors it had produced in the past. The boy was improving, honestly, but he could hardly be said to be equal to his teammates or his ancestors. Silvanus knew that quite well, he was well acquainted with the Arcs, though they'd never recognize him.**

 **Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. There was nothing too special behind those two as far as he was aware. Though, the Ren boy's semblance would be _very_ useful.**

 **Pyrrha Nikos. Another obvious one. Four-time victor of the Mistral Regional Tournament and top of her class in Sanctum Academy. Ozpin would want her to be a part of his war not just because of her skill in battle, but also because of her heart. She was selfless, righteous, and stubbornly dedicated to those close to her. In some ways, she reminded him of himself when he was younger. Far younger.**

The audience were now really wondering and curious as to who this man was. He seemed so determined in his belief of Ozpin being a master puppeteer, and full of spite for the Headmaster.

As the members of team RWBY and JNPR reflected on Silvanus' thoughts, however, there was some sense to them if Ozpin was like he described.

Weiss and Blake were indeed well connected, one to the largest Dust supplier on Remnant, and the other to the nation of Faunus and the rising power of a nearly worldwide terrorist organisation.

Pyrrha was indeed an incredible prize for Ozpin to have in Beacon. The _'Invincible Girl'_.

Jaune's lineage was quite probably the reason that Ozpin had accepted him into Beacon, and kept him in it. Though, now is was going to be _very_ awkward because now everyone in the audience were aware of his faked entry transcripts.

Yang had latched onto the information of her mother like a piece of drift wood in the midst of an intense ocean storm. Her mother in this universe used to work for Ozpin, but went rogue, and became the chieftan of a bandit tribe? Was her mother the same? Tai and Qrow looked uncertainly at Yang, they remembered the first time she had gone looking for her mother.

Ren and Nora were kind of miffed by the way they were described, but understood it. They were orphans, and no other connections apart from each other.

But what was this talk of 'Ozpin's war'? Was it the war agsinst the Grimm? Or something else, something... more nefarious.

Ozpin was silently trying to hold it together. For the reasons stated by Silvanus were indeed among the reasons that motivated him to accept all of them into the academy.

 **Time had now passed. The cafeteria was cleaned and repaired, and the day was over. They were now watching Silvanus entering through a house in Vale's residential district. It was modest, with only one-storey and a single bedroom. The indoors were rather plain, though, when he entered the living room, the audience observed several antiques scattered around it.**

 **There was a suit of steel plate armour plate with a coat of black paint over the plates, a dark pelt of synthetic fur around the back of the neck, and a white cape that fell to the back of the suit's knees. There was a cavalry saber and a flintlock pistol hung on the wall. Alongside the previous two, were a collection of various swords of different styles and design. Curiously, there was an exact copy of Crocea Mors as well. A broken vase from Mistral. And in the corner, was a refurbished suit of lamellar armour with a red plume on the top of the helm.**

Oobleck's eyes were zipping here and there, analysing each one of the items mentioned previously. The history teacher wondered if Silvanus was a collector, but how was a janitor able to afford all of that?

 **"You're home. Good." A feminine voice suddenly spoke. Emerging from another door to the livingroom, a female figure dressed in a black dress, with a cape that trailed behind her, gloves that covered her forearms, and a hood that hid her facial features.**

Dread, the likes of which the audience had never felt before, struck them all like an arrow. This woman radiated a dark majesty and grace, and inspired a sense of unease and fear in their heartss. Ozpin recognised her, for they had met before, and because she was the reason that he had been cursed with immortality.

 **" _My lady_." Silvanus dryly greeted her. Completely unfazed by the fact a person, least of all the woman before him, had broken into his home. "I don't suppose I should offer you some tea or coffee? Unless, of course, you've already helped yourself."**

 **"No, that will not be necessary, Lysandros. I do not intend to stay too long." The woman chuckled, as she began to inspect the various objects in the room. Silvanus' eyes narrowed at the mention of that name. "Another name, another identity, another life. How many have you lived? Have you forgotten the number of times you had to bury your old life to start a new one? Ozpin has. The last time I checked, he was on his-"**

 **"Enough!" Silvanus half-yelled at the woman.**

"Who is she? And who is Silvanus, really?" Pyrrha wondered aloud. There was very something afoot here.

 **The woman payed no heed to Silvanus and stopped in front of the suit of plate armour and hummed in admiration of it. Silvanus groaned and crossed his arms, his eyes focusing entirely on the woman. All was silent for a time, until the woman spoke again. "I remember this suit of armour. You wore it when you first tried to kill me. You cut a _very_ strapping figure in it. You were known as Sigismund then, weren't you? _The Lion of Albion_. I still have a scar where you stabbed me, do you wish to see?"**

 **Silvanus rolled his eyes and disinterestedly replied. "I'd sooner slit my own throat again than do that. Get to the point."**

"'Again'?" Blake whispered. An idea was formulating in her head. Was Silvanus able to reincarnate upon death?

 **"I'm sure of it." The woman turned back towards him. Her hood still obscuring her features. "I've come to extend my offer once again, Silvanus Thorn."**

 **Silvanus rose his hand to stop her and responded as if he had already rehearsed the words he was about to say. "My answer is still no, witch. I am opposed to Ozpin and the long, secret war he was been waging against you. But, that does not mean I shall align with you. I made myself very clear the last time we met, and the last time you offered me a seat at your table. No matter what the two of you offer me. I will not fight for either of you in this war."**

 **The woman frowned beneath her hood. "Ozpin has made you offers to return to his order hasn't he? What were they? A true, final death?"**

 **"Yes. He promises to find a way to finally end my life. In exchange, he wants me to train his latest batch of pawns he plans to throw into this war." Silvanus snorted.**

 **"Do you think he will give you choice the next time he tries to bargain with you? Do you think _I_ will give you a choice in this matter?" The woman said in a low tone. She drew close to Silvanus. Silvanus did not move, but looked at her defiantly. "I could kill you again. Here and now. And derail whatever plans you may have laid in this life. Or, I could just capture, keep you in my darkest dungeon, and break you until you will willingly serve me."**

 **Silvanus was unmoved and replied. "If you kill me, I'll just come back from the dead. If you capture me, huh, you remember the last time you did? I stabbed you."**

 **A tense moment later, the woman's image distorted and then turned to dust. Silvanus had stabbed her with a knife he always hid on his person, or at least, a projection of the real woman. The man sighed in frustration. If she knew where he lived, than her agents will come knocking one day. His timetable had been shortened. He would need to act soon.**

 **He was so very different from the man he was all those years ago. If Ozpin had not interfered all those years ago, and if he had not failed so many years before that, he wouldn't be here. He'd earnestly sought ways to end it all. Dying in battle, suicide, even the use of magic spells to somehow release himself from Ozpin's curse. Nothing worked. He would always be pulled back from death into the same body and place he had died just hours or days before.**

"Wait, what?" Neptune said.

"Hmmm. According to all the evidence I gathered, I can assume that Mr Thorn is in fact immortal and is able to be return after death thanks to the efforts of Headmaster Ozpin, who, in this universe is also immortal, according to Mr Thorn." Penny surmised. The audience had seen all sorts of things during their time in the Repository. So, it seemed that the Remnant of this universe possessed immortal people just like the one with the Deathless. And Ozpin could be counted among those immortals, and he was also a wizard.

"So, he was that dying warrior." Yatsuhashi remarked.

 **Ozpin could not reverse his spell, he'd told Silvanus that much when he first returned to life in the ruins of his long forgotten city. For that, he'd strangled Ozpin to death. Only to learn several years later that he too could come back to life. Ozpin had intended for him to be a guardian to watch over his four precious Maidens. Silvanus cared nothing of the Maidens.**

 **He had wanted to die back then. He was ready to. Now he was stuck amongst the living. Fighting a war he had no idea existed in the first place.**

The audience members felt a measure of sympathy for Silvanus. It was a poor decision by this universe's Opzin to thrust an unwilling someone into whatever secret war he was waging.

 **"Such is life." Silvanus sighed before the screen darkened.**

* * *

 **I started to lose interest in this chapter and ran out of ideas at the end, so I ended it there.** **I might not have finished or published this one if I hadn't gone so far with it. Let me know what you all thought of it. Below is a few universes that I could do for Chapter 10, but feel free to make requests if you want.**

 **Potential Content of Next Chapter:**

 **\- The Jade Rabbit _(Another Original Idea, where Velvet is secretly a assassin-for-hire)_**

 **\- COD: Advanced Warfare Live Action _(Reader Requested Idea)_**

 **\- Overwatch cinematics _(Reader Requested Idea)_**

 **\- Final Fantasy XV Kingsglaive _(Personal Idea)_**


	10. Overwatch Short - Dragons

**Author's Note** **:**

 **First, allow me to express my gratitude to all those who have chosen to favourite and follow this story. The former is now over two-hundred, while the latter is nearing three-hundred. In general, I'd like to thank you all for choosing to read this story.**

 **Anyway,** **here's some stuff that I intended to be a part of the previous chapter, but decided to cut from it.**

 **\- Silvanus and Ozpin were supposed to have a heated conversation. Ozpin knows that Silvanus is planning to do something that will disrupt his and Salem's plans. While Silvanus would try to get through to Ozpin that his war with Salem has gone on for too long, and that it had cost too many lives and resources.**

 **\- There would have been flashbacks to several points in Silvanus' life. One of them would have him passing on Crocea Mors to his squire, Joan Arc, as he dies on a battlefield. Another would have had him be a Winged Hussar, him being the one to seal the tunnel to Mountain Glenn, and his attempt on Salem's life.**

 **\- Three other Immortals just like Silvanus would also be mentioned, though all but one of them would share his view of Ozpin and his war.**

 **I also intended Silvanus Thorn to be related to Summer and Ruby somehow, because y'know, most varieties of roses have thorns. Probably won't make another chapter based on this idea, but, I might do another one, like I very likely will do another chapter for Rick and Morty, and maybe Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.**

* * *

 **Overwatch - Dragons**

Once the screen had turned black, the audience started to look amongst themselves. That universe contained some very heavy stuff.

The students, and even those initiated into his order, began to feel doubt in Ozpin. This was another universe, so they reasoned that its Ozpin was a different from their own, and that their Ozpin wasn't a manipulative reincarnating dick who was using them as pawns in a secret war that had been going on for centuries. Though, the idea that he was clung to their minds for some reason. They tried to shake it away, but it had latched onto them like a leech.

Ruby, upon hearing about it, was enthralled by the legend of the Silver-Eyes. She recalled that Ozpin had brought up her eye colour when they first met, it was weird, but she had chalked it up to him being fascinated by such a unique eye colour. When they got back home, she would look up these Silver-Eyes. She'd never heard any stories about them before, and she felt it odd that it was so.

Ozpin was shitting bricks.

Why? Because his immortality had been exposed in front of his students and other uninitiated members of the Order. They appeared to not be pursing the subject, and for that he felt fortunate, but he needed to be careful. Alaric, he was surely enjoying this. And if the Keeper so wished, he might force Ozpin to admit his ability to reincarnate and reveal Salem's existence to his students.

 _'They aren't ready.'_ Ozpin thought to himself. In his eyes, his students weren't ready for the truth. Alaric secretly begged to differ.

"So. Interesting universe, wasn't it?" Alaric asked his audience, though, he didn't seek an answer and rose his remote again. "Let's see another one."

 **The screen came to life and showed an artistic rendition of two eastern dragons flying around each other amidst tall green mountains and clouds. The scales of one dragon was blue, while the other's colouration was green. And elderly voice began to speak.**

 **"My family tells of an ancient legend about two great Dragon brothers; the Dragon of the North Wind and the Dragon of the South Wind. Together, they upheld balance and harmony in the Heavens."**

Ren's raised an eyebrow once he heard the voice begin to speak. Though he had not heard his voice since he was a child, Ren could not help but think that the speaker's voice sounded like his father's. Were they going to see his father in this universe? Maybe his mother? Maybe even himself? It would be... nice if that were so.

 **The scene changed to a view of a highly urban landscape in the middle of the night. The city expanded as far as the eye could see. Panning down to street-level, a figure wielding a bow jumped onto the street. They wore green clothing that appeared to be inspired from the traditional attire of Mistral, though the left side of their torso and left arm was exposed. A tattoo snaked up their exposed let arm. The bow wielding individual had a well-trimmed beard and moustache combination, and their hair was black with a streak of pink.**

"Ren look! It's you!" Nora stated loudly, tugging on her best friend's sleeve and pointed at the TV screen. She had to admit to herself, he looked _very_ good. A sentiment that was shared by a couple other women in the audience.

"I look like my father." Ren murmured to himself.

 **Ren looked around cautiously and, seeing that the coast was clear, ran up the empty street and scaled up a closed wooden gate. From atop a building a mysterious figure watched Ren.**

"Ooh. I smell I fight coming." Yang said, rubbing her hands together.

 **Changing back to the artistic scene, it showed the two dragons circling each other, their mouths open in rage. The narrator continued with his story.**

 **"But the two brothers argued over who could better rule their land. Their quarrel turned to rage and their violent struggle darkened skies, until the Dragon of the South Wind struck down his brother, and fell to earth, shattering the land."**

 **It showed the green dragon falling down into a flaming city.**

The audience felt sadness for the story, it was always horrible when siblings fought each other. Blake, having read a lot of books, could see that this was obviously a bit of foreshadowing and that the mysterious figure must have been their sibling. It was obvious to anyone really.

 **Ren snuck into a courtyard in some palace, several guards patrolling around. One of them was a robot, appearing far more advanced than any Altesian model of robot.**

 **The bowman began to swiftly incapacitate each of the guards. First, he shot the robot in the chest with an arrow, leapt down, and struck a human guard across his face, elbowed them in gut and kicked them of a ledge. Ren caught the arm of another guard, trapped his neck with his forearm as he drew his bow, and fired an arrow at the final guard who was running away and had a very odd haircut. The arrow flew, and appeared to track the guard.**

 **The guard with the odd hairdo took out a mobile phone, dialed a number onto it, and as he brought it up to his ear, Ren's arrow impressively struck the phone. The guard kept running, and hit his head against a giant bell, knocking himself out.**

"Hm, very impressive. I wonder what level of training this version of you had, Mr Ren." Winter hummed in admiration. Nora sent a glare at Winter, interpreting her words to be something other than what the older Schnee sister meant.

 **"The Dragon of the South Wind had triumphed, but as time passed and he realized his solitude. The sweetness of victory turned to ash."**

 **Ren snuck through a small square with a tall cherry blossom tree within it, a full moon revealed to be not the only witness to his infiltration as the mysterious figure stood up with the moon behind them.**

 **Ren walked into a lamplit shrine, a katana sword was on display at the far end of the shrine, a large banner with kanji characters written on it. A closer examination of the sword revealed it had a notch on the blade's edge, and the banner behind the katana had a large cut at its lower left corner, what might have been blood splattered around the cut.**

 **"For years the bereft Dragon's grief threw the world into discord and he knew only bitterness and sorrow." A man with a straw hat was now stood atop a rock and was conversing with the Dragon of the South Wind. "One day a stranger called up to the Dragon and asked. _'Oh, Dragon Lord, why are you so distraught?'_ The dragon told him. _'Seeking power I killed my brother, but without him, I am lost.'_ The stranger replied. _'You have inflicted wounds upon yourself, but now you must heal. Walk the earth on two feet as I do. Find value in humility, then you will find peace.'_ "**

 **Ren knelt down, and began preparing offerings before the sword display. Among these offerings, he lay a feather onto the floor.**

Seeing where the story was going, most of the audience realized that the Ren of this universe had killed whatever sibling he had. Just like the Dragon of the South Wind. The sword on the display must have been Ren's sibling's. And like the dragon who felt sorrow for killing their brother, they saw genuine guilt and regret written on Ren's face, and his preparation of offerings indicated that he too felt mournful for what he had done.

 **"You are not the first assassin sent to kill me, and you will not be the last." Ren said.**

 **In the shadows of the ceiling, numerous green lights lit up across the mysterious figure's body. They leapt down onto the floor, and landed on their feet soundlessly. Having a clear view of the figure's appearance, the audience saw that they were a female cyborg ninja, much of her body pitch black. They were armed with a short wakizashi above her buttocks, and a longer bladed katana on her back.**

 **"You are bold to come to Shimada castle, the den of your enemies." The cyborg/robot ninja spoke in a feminine voice. Blake's voice.**

"What?" Blake said in disbelief. She hadn't really anticipated that she was Ren's stalker. She could admit it was rather cool that this her was a ninja like the protagonist of one of her favourite books. But if her earlier assumption of where this story was going was correct, she was Ren's sister. The cat faunus found that she didn't dislike the idea of being Ren's sister. Though she wondered, was this Blake seeking vengeance against Ren? She also noticed that this other her didn't have cat ears, so she wasn't a faunus in this universe. That was an almost hard concept to grasp.

Ruby's excited voice broke her from her thoughts. "Blake look! You're a super cool robot ninja!"

Blake smiled at her young leader's words and said. "I think I'm actually a cyborg, Ruby."

"Why a cyborg?" Ruby asked.

"I just have a feeling." Blake replied. She looked away from Ruby, and froze as she looked at Yang's face and saw Yang have a look set on her face which Blake and her fellow huntsmen and huntresses-in-training dreaded seeing. It was the face she made when she was about to make a pun or a joke. Others saw it too, and prepared for the first. "What is it Yang?"

"Oh it's nothing." Yang grinned. "It's just... we now know that cats do land on their feet."

Everyone looked at Yang with disappointed gazes, and some shook their heads at her.

"My calculations state that your joke was not even 0.01% funny." Penny said.

 **"This was once my home." Ren said, his hand reaching for his bow which lay beside him. "Did your masters not tell you who I was?!"**

 **Ren turned and shot an arrow at Blake. Blake calmly moved aside, avoiding the arrow, and continued talking. "I know who you are, Lie."**

 **The bowman shot another arrow that flew in an arc towards Blake, the cyborg ninja ducked at this. "I know you come here every year, on the same day."**

 **Ren fired three more arrows at Blake. The ninja deftly dodging each one of them. "You risk so much to honor someone you murdered!"**

 **Blake produced a trio of shurikens from her right hand (insert squealing sounds from Ruby), and flung them at Ren. The man ducked in time to avoid the shurikens, the hand-thrown weapons slicing the ends off a couple of Ren's arrows.**

 **"You know nothing of what happened!" Ren shouted in rage, rolling forward and shooting another bow at Blake. Blake drew out her wakizashi and blocked the arrow with the flat side of the blade, the force of the arrow sent her off the many area of the shrine and to a lower floor of the shrine. Ren came over to the edge and drew another arrow, different from the others this time and fired it from his bow. The arrow split into several smaller arrows, the ninja deflected several and jumped back onto the floor above her. She sheathed her sword and dashed into a terrace that connected to the shrine.**

"This other version of you sure is fast Blake. It's pretty impressive how she can deflect arrows with a sword like that." Pyrrha complimented the cat faunus, the girl in question nodded her thanks to the red-haired champion and looked back at the screen. She was still trying to figure out whether or not this Blake really intended to kill Ren, she did seem to be putting some effort into trying to kill him, though her choice to engage in dialogue might be indicative of something else.

"COME ON REN! BREAK BLAKE'S LEGS!" Nora shouted, urging older Ren on.

"Nora." Ren sighed.

 **Ren followed after her, and searched the terrace for the ninja. Blake continued to speak from wherever she had hidden.**

 **"I know you tell yourself that your sister disobeyed the clan..." Ren turned and shot an arrow at where Blake's voice was coming from, though the arrow hit nothing but an empty wall. The came moved to reveal that Blake was now standing behind Ren, her wakizashi in hand. "...and that you had to kill her to maintain order. That it was your duty."**

 **Ren was now done to two arrows. He took both out of his quiver and responded to Blake. "It was my duty, and my burden."**

 **He turned and shot one arrow, Blake swiftly deflecting it, the arrow landing on the floor. Ren prepared his last arrow and rose his voice at her. "That does not mean I do not honour her!"**

 **The bowman shot his last arrow at Blake. She held her sword in a reverse-grip and, in slow-motion, cut the arrow in half. The two halves embedding themselves in the wall behind her.**

"Ho ho ho, excellent reflexes on Ms Belladonna's part." Port congratulated the Blake on screen.

 **Enraged and out of arrows, Ren leapt forward and swing his bow at Blake, the ninja blocking his attack, the two fighting one another in melee. Ren swung again, but Blake jumped over him, dodged another swing, and blocked a fourth attack. Blake went of the offensive, and with a mid-air kick, sent Ren against one of the terrace's wooden railings. The cyborg ninja jumped high into the air, her sword ready to stab Ren, who blocked the blade with his bow at the last second at the last second.**

 **"You think you honour your sister, Blake, with incense offerings?" Blake questioned Ren. "Honour resides in one's actions."**

Blake hummed in satisfaction. She was right. The Ren and Blake on screen were related.

"Wait, Blake is Ren's sister? So... wait a minute... shouldn't Ren be able to recognize her voice?" Coco expressed her thoughts aloud. Everyone just shrugged and continued watching. Blake and Ren were probably younger when Ren was forced to almost kill her, so Blake must have sounded different if Ren could not recognize his sister.

"I wonder how Mr Ren will react upon learning that Ms Belladonna is alive." Glynda pondered as she observed the events on the screen.

 **"You dare to lecture me about honour? You are not worthy to say her name!" Ren said in response, as he turned Blake's sword away from him and threw her to the other side of the room. He ran over and picked up the arrow on the floor, a pair of blue dragons emerging from the tattoo on his left arm and began coiling around his arrow, as he said.** **"Ryu ga waga teki wo kurau!"**

 **When Ren loosed his arrow, no mere stick with a sharp pointy end flew from his bow, but two large, blue eastern dragons emerged and began to fly towards Blake.**

"Whoa!" Sun exclaimed in surprise, and was joined by Neptune, Nora, Ruby and Yang as he said. "That's so awesome!"

"What the hell is that?!" Weiss cried in amazement.

The entirety of the audience were stunned by Ren's ability to apparently summon dragons. Though they'd be more amazed by what came after.

 **"Ryujin no ken wo kurae!" Blake cried as she drew the katana on her back, a single dragon like the ones Ren sent towards her, except it was green, emerged. She directed her dragon to come between Ren's blue dragons, who both seemed to follow the green one. They moved around Blake, before the blue dragons were sent flying back towards Ren, who could only stand there, stunned by the sight before him. The blue dragons flew through Ren, before disappearing, Ren falling to his knees.**

The audience bore expressions of astonishment just like the one the Ren on screen had on his face. Needless to say, they had never seen crap like that before.

"Huh, neat." Taiyang saying the only words that he could use to describe what he had just witness (This was also how I reacted when I first saw the trailer).

 **Ren let his bow fall to the floor as Blake sheathed her longer katana. Still in disbelief of what he saw, and said. "Only a Shimada can control the Dragons. Who are you?"**

 **Blake wordlessly dashed forward so that she was beside Ren, drew her wakizashi and held it against his neck. Ren, confused as to why Blake was not killing him said. "Do it, then. Kill me."**

 **The cyborg ninja was silent, and then moved her blade away from his neck and said to Ren. "No. I will not grant you the death you wish for. You still have a purpose in this life, brother."**

 **"No... how...? My sister is dead." Ren stood, refusing to believe the cyborg ninja before him was his sister. Blake unsealed the mask that covered her face, a hiss of air followed, and she slowly removed her mask. The camera zoomed in and focused on Blake's eyes. Most of what the audience could see of Blake's face was obscured by shadows, but, they could see that there were faint scars that had long healed marring the parts of her skin which they could see. A looked of realization was set on Ren's face as he said. "Blake!"**

"Yeesh. What did Ren to you, Blake? Is it so terrible that you had to be turned into a super cool robo-ninja?" Yang questioned. The cat faunus herself could not give the blonde-haired girl a response. When the Blake on screen revealed her face, she felt pain shoot up every part of her body, it had only taken an extreme exertion of her own will to sop herself from falling to the floor because of it. She chose not to tell anyone about this sensation.

Over to Ren, the boy was silent. When the Ren on screen realized that the cyborg-ninja was his dead sister, he felt the emotions of relief, guilt, confusion, and disbelief that the other Ren was feeling. He wanted to question why he was feeling this, but found that the thoughts of expressing his concerns being pushed out of his head, and replaced by an unmoving want to not tell anyone about this sensation.

 **"The Dragon knelt upon the ground. For the first time he was able to clearly see the world around him and he became human. The stranger revealed himself as his fallen brother. Reunited, the two set out to rebuild what they had once destroyed."**

 **"What have you become?" Ren asked his sister. Blake put her mask on, patted his shoulder once, and walked up to the railing, saying. "I have accepted what I am and I have forgiven you. Now you must forgive yourself. The world is changing once again, Lie, and it's time to pick a side."**

 **With a mighty leap, Blake jumped from the terrace and landed onto a nearby rooftop. To the surprise of the audience, Ren took up his bow, grabbed his last arrow, which was embedded into a wall, aimed it at Blake and shouted out to her. "Real life is not like the stories out father told us. You are a fool for believing it so!"**

"Dude, c'mon. You're going to shoot your sister after what just happened?" Neptune said in disbelief of the other Ren's current actions.

 **"Perhaps I am a fool to think that there is still hope for you, but I do. Think on that, brother." Blake replied, before disappearing puff of smoke. Leaving behind only a feather, just like the one Ren had laid on the floor, flying in the wind.**

 **Ren returned to the shrine and knelt before it. The camera panned upwards to a painting above the shrine. The painting was the same as the first scene depicting the two Dragon brothers.**

 **With that the screen turned to black.**

"Wooo, that was great." Coco said, stretching her arms and legs.

"Yeah! Nine-point-nine out of ten. It had Ren, ninjas, Ren, an alright fight scene, Ren being awesome, an interesting story, and did I say Ren already? Eh. Would have been ten out of ten if Ren won, because Ren would TOTALLY mop the floor with Blake. No offense." Nora rambled on.

"That's enough, Nora." Ren tried to rein in his partner, but Yang decided to jump in.

"Oh yeah? Well, Blake would destroy Ren in a fair-fight."

"You wanna bet on that?" Nora grinned as she and Yang stood up and faced each other.

"I bet 50 Lien that Blake can beat Ren in a fight." Yang responded. Nora laughed and said. "Make it a hundred Lien and you-"

"Ms Xiao Long and Ms Valkyrie, that is enough!" Glynda interrupted the two. "There will be no gambling amongst my students as long as I am here."

Alaric chuckled and made ready to bring up another universe for his guests to watch.

* * *

 **I'll admit to you all that I've never played Overwatch. I do follow the latest hero reveals, origin stories and have watched the cinematic shorts. You gotta admit that Blizzard can make pretty great cinematics.**

 **That's all for now everyone. For hearth and home!**

 **Future Ideas:**

 **Personal Ideas:**

 **\- Aliens vs Predator**

 **\- Battlefield Friends**

 **\- Diablo 3 Cinematics**

 **\- Final Fantasy XV Kingsglaive**

 **\- G.I Joe Resolute _(Cobra Commander scenes; his speech to the UN and then to his troops)_**

 **\- Lord of the Rings**

 **\- Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail - Scenes; French insults, Castle Anthrax, Tim the Enchanter, the Killer Rabbit, and the Bridge of Death**

 **\- Red VS Blue**

 **\- Stand By Me - Song by Florence and the Machine**

 **\- Warhammer 40,000 _(An Intro to the Dark Millennium or the Emperor's Text-to-Speech Device probably)_**

 **Original Ideas:**

 **\- Damsel not in Distress**

 **\- Death of Hope**

 **\- Demi-Human Students of Beacon**

 **\- The Edelweiss Corsairs**

 **Reader Requested Ideas:**

 **\- Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better - Song**

 **\- Asura's Wrath**

 **\- Archer**

 **\- Assassin's Creed**

 **\- ATLA**

 **\- Attack on Titan**

 **\- Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **\- Avengers: Infinity War**

 **\- Big Hero 6**

 **\- Ben-To**

 **\- Berserk**

 **\- Bioshock**

 **\- Bloodborne**

 **\- Borderlands 2**

 **\- Call of Duty Advanced Warfare – Live Action Trailer**

 **\- Code Geass**

 **\- College Humour skits**

 **\- Cyberpunk 2077**

 **\- Dark Souls**

 **\- DC Abridged Universe**

 **\- Dead Space**

 **\- Deadpool or Deadpool 2**

 **\- Deus Humanity Divided**

 **\- Devil May Cry 5**

 **\- Dragon Age Inquisition**

 **\- Dragon Ball Z**

 **\- Elfen Lied**

 **\- Far Cry 4**

 **\- Fate/stay Night Unlimited Blade Works**

 **\- Fate Apocrypha**

 **\- Gundam 00**

 **\- Halo**

 **\- Half-Life**

 **\- Highschool DXD**

 **\- Hitman**

 **\- Infamous Second Son Trailer**

 **\- Jojo's Bizzare Adventures**

 **\- Jurassic World or Jurassic Park**

 **\- Kamen Rider**

 **\- Logan**

 **\- Madness Combat**

 **\- Mafia 3**

 **\- Magnificent 7**

 **\- Mass Effect**

 **\- Miracle of Sound - Song; All as One, the Day the World Died**

 **\- Metro 2033/Exodus**

 **\- My Hero Academia**

 **\- One Piece**

 **\- Overwatch**

 **\- Pacific Rim**

 **\- Persona 5**

 **\- Pirates of the Carribean**

 **\- Prototype 2**

 **\- Resident Evil**

 **\- RWBY Chibi**

 **\- Saw**

 **\- See You Again - Song**

 **\- Seven Deadly Sins**

 **\- Shrek**

 **\- Smash Bros Trailer**

 **\- Soul Eater**

 **\- Star Wars _(Either the movies or the 2003 animated cartoon)_**

 **\- Super Sentai Gokaiger**

 **\- Terminator**

 **\- Tom Clancy – Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell**

 **\- Walking Dead**

 **\- Warframe**

 **\- Witcher**

 **\- World of Warcraft Cinematics**

 **\- Venom 2018**

 **\- Venture Bros**


	11. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey, everyone! This took longer to do than I initially thought it would. Then again, I have been busy for lately. Between work, celebrating my birthday, writing the first two chapters of my second fanfiction _(information below)_ , and another project I've been working on. You can see why it took me more than a while to get this chapter done. The new expansion **

**About that fanfiction I mentioned before.** **I've published the first chapter of my second fanfiction, a RWBY and Warhammer 40K crossover called 'Worst enemies make even worse roommates'. It's inspired from a comic series from DeviantArt I saw a while back called 'DaRealWurld40k'. In it, the gods of the 40K-verse throw at least one member of the various warring races of the 40K-verse onto Remnant and force them to work and live together for the simple reason wanting amusement after watching ten thousand years of constant warfare. It takes place during canon events. In it you can expect laughs, gore, mutual hatred, heresy, and a whole lot of dakka.**

 **The second chapter of 'Worst enemies make evem worse roommates' will be posted at least four days after this chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'. If that sounds like your cup of tea, feel free to check it out.**

 **With all that out of the way** **, let's get back to our irregularly scheduled program.**

* * *

 **Monty Python and the Holy Grail**

Keeper Alaric was rubbing his hands gleefully, a wide smile behind his white mask. It kind of creeped the audience out a bit as they watched him do so. Even more so when he began to laugh to himself (imagine that evil laugh Sima Yi from Dynasty Warriors 7-8 does).

"Okay. I am very concerned for whatever you have in mind for us." Taiyang voiced his, and everyone else's, thoughts on Alaric's actions. His words were shortly followed by a series of popping sounds, and five people fell onto two new couches that materialized beneath the new members of the audience.

Onto one fell two young women and one young man. They were Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai, and Mercury Black, the hidden agents of Salem. The other couch cushioned the fall of Roman Torchwick, one of the most wanted men in Vale and beyond, and Neo, his little ice-monster of a henchwoman. All five were bewildered by how they got where they were, the first three going over the next stages of their plans, while Roman was stuck in his cell aboard an Altesian airship. Neo was supposed to be helping Cinder and her posse, but, she had snuck out and had been treating herself to Beacon's supply of ice cream.

The arrival of Cinder and her group was generally met with indifference from those who had not met or heard of them, but the arrival of two known criminals garnered a different reaction. Alarms sounded in the heads of everyone, and got onto their feet to confront Torchwick, but suddenly, with a snap of Alaric's fingers, chains emerged from nowhere and trapped everyone where they were seated.

"Nuh-uh." Alaric said as he wagged a finger at his guests. "Can't have you all fighting in here."

"What do you think you're doing bringing that _criminal_ here?" Glynda questioned Alaric, putting emphasis on the word "criminal" as she shot a glare at Torchwick. Everyone else, apart from Cinder and her group doing the same.

The Keeper of this Repository ignored her and went about explaining to his newest arrivals why they were here. They were of course in disbelief of how they were inside a library of the Multiverse, and that Alaric had abducted them for the sole reason of making them watch some of these universes for his own amusement. A reasonable reaction.

Alaric also explained to them that he was able to remake reality in the Repository however he wished, and was their only way back to their Remnant. To prove his claim about his power, Alaric made Cinder's minidress into a French maid dress with an accompanying featherduster in her hand. He turned Mercury's hands turn into feet and his hair pink. Emerald became younger, appearing the same as when Cinder first found her. And for Roman Torchwick, he made a x-shaped scar appear on his face and Lien fell like rain from the ceiling. Neo, he materialised a bucket of neopolitan ice cream onto her lap.

Suffice to say, they were now convinced. And after his display of considerable power, no one in the audience wanted to mess with him. Yet.

Alaric released everyone from their chains, turned his new guests and the room back to normal, though he let Neo keep her buvket of ice cream. Sat down on his chair, which he had turned into a throne of swords, and pressed play on his remote.

 **T** **he TV screen opened up to a scene in a forest where a man dressed in all black, wearing an iron helmet that concealed all of his features, and a red symbol emblazoned on the front of his tabard, stood before a small bridge in the forest. Both of his hands rested on the pommel of a tall two-handed longsword that nearly reached up to his neck.**

 **'Galloping' onscreen from the left-hand side of the TV, a bearded man wearing a white tabard over a shirt of chainmail, a crown on top of a hood also made of chainmail, and a sword at his side, entered the scene. He was accompanied by another man wearing dirty clothes and bearing a large pack on his back. The audience recognized the two men who entered the scene, even though they were far older. The man in white was Jaune, and his companion was none other than Whitely Schnee.**

 **Jaune, however, was not riding a horse. Actually he was on foot, and pretending to be riding one. Behind him, Whitely was clapping two halves of a coconut shell to simulate the sounds of horse hooves.** **How Whitely got his hands on a coconut was a question some of the audience pondered.**

"Hey, it's me again?" Jaune said, slightly confused. "Why am I pretending to be riding a horse?"

Pyrrha jumped in and said. "Well, no matter what. I think you look _very_ dashing in this universe, Jaune."

"Ah, thanks Pyrrha. If we saw you in a universe, I think you'd look amazing." Jaune replied to Pyrrha, before returning his attention to the screen. He had missed the subtle way the red-haired girl said those words, and chalked it up as a simple compliment from a friend. Pyrrha was slightly miffed by this, but took heart at how Jaune had complimented her.

Neo, who was watching the interaction between the two, gagged at it before going back to watching what was going on the TV and eating spoonfulls of ice cream.

"But why is Jaune pretending to be riding a horse?" Ruby asked.

"Can't afford one." Alaric stated. Fun fact, the producers of Monty Python and the Holy Grail had an initial budget of £230,000, so they couldn't afford horses for all the cast who needed them.

Weiss and Winter, meanwhile, were shocked to see their brother. Though, they had to secretly admit to themselves, they enjoyed watching that little weasel performing the task he was doing.

 **Jaune and Whitely stopped before the Black Knight, the blonde man proceeding to say to him.**

 **"You fight with the strength of many men, Sir Knight." The Black Knight offered no response. Jaune went ahead and continued to speak. "I am Jaune, King of the Britons."**

"I'm a king?!" Jaune exclaimed. Now that was something, he, and the rest of the audience, thought they'd see during their stay here as Alaric's 'guests'.

As Cinder looked on the form of the Black Knight, she could not help but ponder on the sense of familiarity that she felt towards the Black Knight. A familiar edginess that she had only seen in one other person in her life.

 _'_ _Could it be?'_ Cinder thought to herself. Emerald and Mercury were also experiencing this same sensation. All three took a guess of who it was. They were already seeing the blonde boy, Jaune Arc, and the youngest of the Schnee siblings onscreen. It wasn't an outlandish thought to believe that _he_ was there as well.

 **Again, silence was the Black Knight's response.**

 **Jaune glanced towards Whitely, becoming increasingly annoyed with the knight before him, before continuing to say. "I seek the finest and the bravest knights in the land to join me in my court at Camelot."**

 **More silence.**

 **"You have proved yourself worthy. Will you join me?" Silence, again. Giving up, Jaune said. "You make me sad. So be it. Come, Patsy."**

The audience couldn't help but snicker at the mention of Whitely's name in this universe. Those who were drinking, were having a hard time swallowing whatever drink they were attempting to down.

 **"None shall pass." The Black Knight declared.**

 **"What?" Jaune balked.**

 **"None shall pass." The Black Knight repeated a second time.**

 **"I have no quarrel with you, good Sir Knight, but I must cross this bridge."**

 **"Then you shall die." The Black Knight said in a slow, dramatic manner.**

 **"I command you, as King of the Britons, to stand aside." Jaune hotly demanded.**

 **"I move for no man."**

 **"So be it!" Jaune cried as he drew his sword, the Black Knight raising his own to meet Jaune's challenge.**

Blake was frozen where she was. For the voice of the Black Knight was familiar to her, for she had known its owner for years. To Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, their previous guesses on the Black Knight's identity were confirmed. I am of course talking about the RWBY-verse's resident edgelord, Adam Taurus.

The cat faunus had somewhat expected to see him in one of the universes that Alaric would show them, but expecting something to happen doesn't always lessen the shock value of when it does happen.

 **The two men began to clash blades with each other, Adam making wide swings swings that Jaune was calmly able to block and dodge with ease. Jaune was even able to bonk Adam on the top of his restrictive helmet. As their blades clashed again, Jaune saw an opening and was able to lop Adam's left arm off.**

 **"Now, stand aside, worthy adversary." Jaune said to Adam triumphantly. Adam looked down at his fallen left arm, and his bleeding shoulder and shockingly said. "'Tis but a scratch."**

 **Jaune, and the audience, were stupefied by Adam's words and both parties said as one. "'A scratch'? Your arm's off."**

 **"No, it isn't." Adam replied.**

 **The blonde King of the Britons pointed his sword at Adam's left arm and, in disbelief of Adam, said. "Well, what's that, then?"**

 **Adam looked to his arm and back to Jaune and said. "I've had worse."**

 **"You liar."**

 **"Come on, you pansy." Adam cried as he swung at Jaune with his only remaining arm.**

Weiss planted her face into her right palm and said. "This is going to be as ridiculous as that alleyway shootout, isn't it?"

Yang, and a few others in the audience, disagreed with Weiss and said to the heiress. "Don't you mean hilarious, Weiss-cream?"

"What happened there?" Mercury asked the two, genuinely curious of what had happened. Alaric snapped his figures and played out the entire scene of the Mexican Shootout in his mind. The grey-themed boy was then on the floor laughing his ass off. Once he recovered from his fit of laughter, Mercury sat back onto his couch with Cinder and Emerald and said. "Oh, man. That was some quality stuff right there."

 **The Black Knight charged at Jaune, wielding his sword like a lance. Jaune just stepped to the side, and cut off Adam's right arm at the shoulder.**

 **"Victory is mine" Jaune turned, knelt on one knee and began to pray. "We thank thee, Lord, that in thy-"**

 **Unexpectedly, Adam kicked Jaune in the side of his head with the sole of his boot. Knocking the man to the forest floor. Once Jaune was downed, Adam gave Jaune another kick and said. "Come on, then."**

 **"What?" The King and the audience uttered incredulously, and with some chuckling from the audeince. Any normal or sane person would have stopped fighting, retreated, and sought medical treatment for such fatal and life-threatening injuries. But, not this Adam apparently. Though, to be honest, their Adam might just do the same thing if he lost his arms.**

 **"Have at you."**

 **The blonde-haired man got onto his feet, receiving another kick from Adam as he did so and said to him "You are indeed brave, Sir Knight, but the fight is mine."**

 **"Oh, had enough, eh?" Adam taunted.**

 **Jaune, incredibly annoyed now with the ridiculous levels of stubbornness this knight was displaying said. "Look, you stupid bastard! You've got no arms left."**

 **"Yes, I have."**

 **"Look!"**

 **"Just a flesh wound." Adam nonchalantly replied, as he kicked Jaune again. Blood squirting from the joints where his arms had connected to his body.**

Several in the audience were now openly laughing at the screen, while others were struggling to contain themselves. The situation was just so ridiculous. They had just made the most notorious member of the White Fang look like a clown.

In the midst of her laughter, Yang cried. "If I lose an arm, I'm gonna say 'It's just a flesh wound'!"

 **"Look, stop that."**

 **"Chicken! Chicken!" Adam continued to taunt Jaune. Kicking him one more time.**

 **"I'll have your leg." Jaune threatened. The Black Knight went ahead and kicked Jaune once more. "Right!"**

 **Jaune cut off Adam's right leg. He had to declare the fight forfeit now, or at least die from bloodless. Of course, that didn't happen, as Adam went on to say. "Right! I'll do you for that."**

 **"You'll what?" Jaune yelled in confusion as he watched Adam hop on the spot.**

 **"Come here."**

 **"What're you going to do? Bleed on me?"**

More laughs from the audience.

 **"I'm invincible!" Adam cried as he harmlessly bumped his chest against Jaune, who could only respond. "You're a loony."**

 **"The Black Knight always triumphs. Have at you! Come on, then." Jaune, tired of this idiocy, went ahead and cut off Adam's left leg, the latter falling to the forest floor, limbless. The Black Knight looking towards each of his lost limbs, looked up to Jaune and declared. "All right, we'll call it a draw."**

That final sentence prompted _everyone_ to burst out laughing.

 **Sheathing his sword, Jaune signaled to Whitely, who had been hiding behind a tree and called out to his servant. "Come, Patsy."**

 **Adam, believe it or not, had not given up and started to yell at the two as they passed him by and crossed the bridge. "Oh, I see. Running away, eh? You yellow bastards! Come back here and take what's coming to you! I'll bite your legs off!"**

Believing it was over, the audience were starting to compose themselves.

Cinder and her group, alongside Roman and Neo, had to admit to themselves that what they had watched was completely nonsensical, but also very amusing. The audience he were there already wordlessly agreed with each other that this was one of the funniest scenes from a universe that they had ever seen.

"Hahahaha! That was a most amusing one to witness." Port bellowed. "In fact, it almost reminds me of a similar encounter I had years ago, it was-"

"It's not over yet." Alaric declared, creating a cushioned foot stool in front of him and resting his feet on it. "There's a long way to go until we reach the end of this rabbit-hole. Hehehehe"

 **Sure enough, the scene on the TV had changed and they now saw Jaune, and four other men dressed like him, though they bore shields, stood before a high-walled, stone castle, accompanied by servants dressed and bearing packs just like Whitely, or 'Patsy' as he was known as in this world. The knights with King Jaune were his noble knight of Camelot.**

 **A knight in white and blue wore a helmet, but there was an opening large enough to seen most of his face through a cage-like visor. The audience could see the familiar face of Ren, though he had a moustache on his face, he was still recognizable.**

 **Another knight, shorter than the rest, wore a white tabard with a red cross on it. He had tan skin, his face was freckled, and had unkempt black hair. This was the Oscar Pine of this universe.**

 **The third and tallest knight wore black and white, his chainmail hood covered the entirety of his head apart from his face. This knight was Yatsuhashi.**

 **The last, and the least of the knights, wore white and green and had his chainmail hood up as well. His orange hair made him recognizable as none other than Cardin Winchester. Interestingly, emblazoned onto the front of his shield, the audience saw a giant chicken painted on it.**

 **"Hello!" Jaune called up to the castle's walls. There was a long pause, Jaune called up to the wall again. "Hello!"**

 **Appearing on the wall, the familiar face of Roman Torchwick emerged. Dressed in black, and wearing chainmail and a steel helmet on his heat. He also had a curly moustache on his face. The orange-haired man noticed the men below and called down to them in a French accent. "Hello. Who is it?"**

Roman's eyebrows rose in surprise upon seeing and hearing his other self. His pint-sized accomplice was silently laughing at how her boss was portrayed in this universe. She'd never seen Roman with a moustache before, and had grown accustomed to the manner he spoke. Seeing and hearing him here was very hilarious to her, a feeling shared by others in the audience who laughed at Roman's expense.

"Is that seriously how I look and sound?" Roman complained, trying to ignore the laughs from Neo, Ruby and her friends. Alaric chuckled and said. "Oh yeah. If you think this is weird, I could show you the universe where your genders are reversed. You want to? It's very funny."

"We'll... take your word for it." Ironwood answered.

 **"It is King Jaune, and these are my Knights of the Round Table. Whose castle is this?"**

 **Roman replied. "This is the castle of my master, Guy de Loimbard."**

 **"Go an tell your master that we have been charged by God with a sacred quest. If he gives us food and shelter for the night, he can join us in our quest for the Holy Grail."**

"Holy Grail? What's that?" Ozpin asked, curious for it sounded like a valuable artifact. Cinder was also curious, while Roman listened in as well because it sounded valuable and might be worth a few Lien.

"It's an artefact of immense religious importance to one of this universe's many faiths. And before any of you say anything, King Jaune and his knights actually were charged by their god to go and find it." Alaric explained.

 **"Well, I'll ask him, but I don't think he'll be very keen. He's already got one, you see?" Roman called down to the knights below, prompting confusion to bloom amongst them.**

 **"What?" Jaune shouted up at Roman.**

 **"He says they've already got one." Oscar reiterated what Roman had said. The King looked back up and asked Roman. "Are you sure he's got one."**

 **"Oh yes, it's very nice." Roman replied before looking to his right. There, hiding behind the walls of the castle were three others, each one dressed in the same manner as Roman was. They was Neo, Mercury and Emerald. Mercury also having a curly moustache just like Roman. "I told him we already got one."**

 **All four snickered to themselves at how they were playing King Jaune and his Knights as fools.**

Cinder and her group were immediately alarmed for this scene was implying their secret connections with Roman Torchwick. Oddly enough however, the rest of the audience had not reacted the way they thought they would. They could see that Qrow was sending them suspicious looks, but everyone else had not really come to the realization that they and Roman were working together.

 _'Lucky you, right?'_ A disembodied voice said in Cinder's mind. It was Alaric's voice, she looked towards him and saw him sitting silently on his throne. Had the Keeper had spoken to her telepathically? She didn't want to believe it. It was bad enough that he had abducted her and her minions and forced them into this ridiculous situation. But to have him probing around her thoughts was intolerable.

 _'There could be worse things I could do to you, Cindy. I could force your nervous system to experience what it is like to feel several torrents of fire engulf your entire body. I could chain you to a rock and have an eagle feast on your liver for all eternity. Or I could turn you into a brain-dead thrall whose only purpose is to execute my every command. And those are some of the more moderate things I could do.'_ Alaric's voice spoke in her head again.

Cinder looked at Alaric, her eyes wide in anger and some dread. Alaric gave her a sideways look with one eye and winked at her before returning to watch the TV.

 **Jaune looked awkwardly towards each of his companions and asked Roman. "Uh, um... Can we come up and have a look?"**

 **"Of course not! You are English-types." "Well what are you then?"**

 **"I'm French! Why do you think I have this outrageous accent, you silly king?"**

"Is that really the accent of French people? It feels kind of... exaggerated." Pyrrha asked Alaric, who only shrugged and replied. "In most universes, that would be true. Roman's accent her is part of a stereotypical caricature of the French. In this one universe, however that's a different story."

 **"What are you doing in England?" Oscar called up to Roman, who immediately snapped back at the young knight.** **"Mind your own business!"**

 **"If you do not show us the Grail, we shall take your castle by force!" Jaune threatened Roman.**

 **"You don't frighten us, English pig-dogs! Go and boil your bottom, sons of a silly person. I blow my nose at you, so-called Jaune King. You and all your silly English K'nnigets." Roman taunted Jaune and his knights, and then went on to blow a raspberry at them several times while patting the top of his helmet in mockery.**

 **Oscar looked to Jaune and remarked. "What a strange person."**

 **Jaune, trying to be polite but nearing his wit's end, said. "Now look here, my good man-"**

 **"I don't wanna talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food-trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries."**

The Roman in the audience let a small smile appear on his face and said. "Well, at least I'm creative."

Ozpin raised a brow at the other Roman's insults. He hadn't heard someone use those kinds of insults in centuries.

 **"Is there someone else up there we could talk to?" Oscar asked.**

 **"No. Now go away or I shall taunt you a second time."**

 **"Now, this is your last chance. I've been more than reasonable..."**

 **As Jaune spoke, Roman turned towards his goons and said to them in French.** ** _"Fetchez la vache!"_**

 ** _"Quoi?"_ Mercury questioned in the same language, Roman turned back to face him and repeated himself. _"Fetchez la vache!"_**

"What did we say?" Roman asked Alaric.

Alaric's mouth grew into a wide grin behind his mask and translated for everyone what the other universe's Roman had said. " _'Fetch the cow!'_ "

"What?" Everyone cried. Sure enough, two men leading a cow emerged from a doorway inside the castle.

 **"If you do not agree to my command, then I shall-" A 'boing' sound was heard from inside the castle, and the cow that the Roman had ordered his goons to fetch was launched over the castle walls by a catapult and began to plummet towards Jaune and his knights.** **Seeing this, Jaune and his knights began to scatter, the blonde king shouting in alarm.** **"JESUS CHRIST!"**

 **"Crikey!"** **Jaune cried as the cow nearly crushed him, but fell onto one of the servants instead. Roman laughed from atop the walls as Jaune and his knights inspected the fallen cow. Undaunted by the Roman and the French's cow-catapulting, Jaune turned to his men, drew his sword and yelled.** **"Right. Charge!"**

"They can't be serious, right? They don't have anything to properly take that castle." Emerald questioned the strategic capabilities, and intelligence, of the other Jaune, who was attacking a castle without any siege-weapons.

"Try not to ask too many questions." Neptune jumped in, quickly checking out Emerald. "A lot of these universes are weird like this."

 **King Jaune and his valiant Knights of the Round Table, charged at the high stone-walls of the castle. And I mean at the walls, almost directly underneath where Roman and his goons were stood. Armed with nothing but swords and shields. Some in the audience were starting to think that this universe resembled a low-budget comedy film than real life.**

 **Once they were ten paces from the castle's walls, the French started to, not fire arrows at them, but toss food and other animals at them. From goats, cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens and ducks. All of them still alive. Being bombarded by a blistering hail of food and various species of animals, and seeing that they could not breach the walls of the castle with swords alone, Jaune turned away from the castle and called out to his men.** **"Run away! Run away!"**

 **As they beat a hasty retreat, still enduring Roman's tactic of 'throwing-everything-in-the-castle-at-the-enemy' the screen turned black.**

"That was... interesting." Cinder commented, keeping an eye fixed on Alaric. As much as she despised him, she could not help but feel envious of the Keeper, particularly of the powers he wielded.

"It was quite the thing to see." Pyrrha added.

"There's still more to see. Much more." Alaric interjected before anyone could say another word. Nora, who was gobbling handfuls of popcorn whole, jumped on her seat a bit in excitement and cried. "Yes, more! The Queen of the Castle demands it!"

 **Jaune and his company were journeying through a rocky land, their number had grown. With them were three more knights, and a carriage pulled by a trio of people dressed in white and black robes and gave off a pious air. As they "galloped" through the land, an explosion erupted from a nearby cliff. The procession stopped and gasped at this, yet they steeled their hearts are "rode" onwards towards the source of the explosions. And they found it.**

 **Atop a tall rock formation, a figure clad in heavy green robes stood. With gestures of their hands, they summoned fiery explosions on nearby outcrops of stone. Two of these explosions were accompanied by what the audience recognized as fireworks that flew some distance into the open air before they themselves exploded. The distant figure then, with a flourish of his arms, disappeared in another explosion, then reappeared before them in a puff of white smoke. He went on to summon more, yet smaller, explosions on the ground around him.**

"Rather dramatic this person, isn't he?" Glynda voiced her thoughts.

 **Awed by the robed man's explosive feats, King Jaune asked the stranger. "What manner of man are you that can summon up fire without flint or tinder?"**

 **"I..." The stranger turned around to face Jaune and his knights. "...am an enchanter."**

The moment the audience laid eyes on the "enchanter's" face and heard his voice, they could only say one word. "Ozpin?!"

Indeed, it was the Headmaster of Beacon. This version of him though, possessed a beard that reached down to his chest. Wore, or at least the audience thought he was wearing, a pair of curved goat-like horns on the sides of his head. And in the place of his cane, he held a tall wooden staff. His appearance and actions thus far gave the impression that he was an eccentric sorcerer who lived in the wilds. They also detected that this Ozpin possessed a noticeable accent.

"Wow. This version of you makes me look like an angel." Roman remarked, his words addressed towards Ozpin. Those in the audience not Neo and of Cinder's group gave him dirty looks for the comment made about the Headmaster.

Ruby threw a popcorn kernel at the Roman's head and stuck her tongue out at him.

 **"By what name are you known? Jaune questioned Ozpin the Enchanter.**

 **"There are some who call me... Tim."**

The audience erupted into laughter. Apart from Ozpin who looked blankly at the screen, everyone was laughing or at least trying to contain their laughter at the revelation of the other Ozpin's name. Even Zwei seemed to have joined in.

 **"Greetings, Tim the Enchanter!" Jaune politely greeted Tim the Enchanter, taking a step forward as he did so.**

 **"Greetings, King Jaune." Tim replied.**

 **Jaune took a step back, shocked that Tim knew his name and asked as such. "You know my name?"**

 **"I do." Ozpin picked up his staff with both hands, pointed the bottom end towards the empty air to his right and made a quick torrent of fire burst from the staff. He returned his gaze towards Jaune and his knights and declared. "You seek the Holy Grail."**

 **"That is our quest. You know much that is hidden, O' Tim."**

 **"Quite." Ozpin turned to his left and aimed the top end of his staff at a dead tree nearby. To the amazement of the Knights of Camelot and the audience, a small rocket shot from the staff and exploded as it struck the tree. Engulfing it in flames.** **Jaune's knights went ahead and applauded Tim.**

"That is awesome! Ren, do you think I can make explosions and fire if I point hard enough at stuff? You know what, I'm going to try it right now!" Nora declared as she started pointing a finger everywhere. Thankfully for everyone in the room, no matter how determined she was to make one, no explosions were created.

"Nora, please sit down." Ren calmly said to his friend.

Qrow looked skeptically at the screen. The flames and the missile shot from Tim's staff looked kind of like cheap movie-effects. "Y'know, those remind me of those special effects from those old movies we used to watch during movie nights in Beacon."

 **"Yes, we are looking for the Holy Grail. Our quest is to find the Holy Grail." Jaune said to Tim, only a slightly bit nervous. His knights affirmed their King's words. Tim, however, remained silent and still. Jaune continued and said. "And so we're looking for it."**

 **"We have been for some time." Ren said. From behind him, Cardin spoke up as well.** **"Ages."**

 **Tim remained silent.**

"Is this going to be like that whole Black Knight affair all over again?" Weiss questioned.

 **"So, anything you could do to help would be... very... helpful."**

 **"Look, can you tell us where-?" Oscar strode past Jaune and neared Tim. The Enchanter summoned a small explosion of fire that lightly singed the young knight's right shin. Forcing him to retreat back to his comrades.**

 **Cowed by Tim the Enchanter's powers of... um, enchanting... fire(?). And wishing to get back on track with their quest to find the Holy Grail. King Jaune began to stutteringly speak to Tim of the quest for the Grail. Well, tried to anyway. "Fine, I don't want to waste anymore of your time, but I don't suppose you tell us where we might find a... find a... a, uh..."**

 **"A what?"**

 **"A g... A g..."**

 **"A Grail?" Tim roared.** **Jaune and his company took a step back at Tim's sudden outburst, the King answering. "Yes, I think so."**

 **"Yes!" Tim turned away from the group and summoned four more explosions on a nearby slope.**

"Rather much, is it not?" Oobleck whispered over to Port.

Cinder personally thought that this Ozpin was a charlatan, and was in no way capable of creating those explosions.

 **"Look, you're a busy man-" Jaune was interrupted by Tim as the Enchanter faced him again and walked up to Jaune and his group.**

 **"Yes, I can help you find the Holy Grail." Tim the Enchanter began. "To the north lies a cave. The Cave of Caerbannog. Wherein, carved in mystic runes, upon the very living rock, the last words of Olfin Bedwere of Rheged…"**

 **Tim waved his free hand towards the clouds above them. A thunderous explosion that echoed across the lands followed shortly after. "...make plain the last resting place of the most Holy Grail."**

Okay, this Ozpin was very dramatic. This all of the audience could agree on. Thank goodness he wasn't crazy.

 **"Where could we find this cave, o' Tim?" Jaune asked.**

 **"Follow!" The Enchanter began to lead them onwards, but abruptly turned back to face Jaune and his company and continued to speak. "But follow only if ye be men of valour. For the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel, that no man who has fought with it and lived. Bones of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So brave knight, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth."**

 **Tim then brought his free hand before his mouth and attempted to imitate the teeth of this monster with his fingers. It wasn't really a very impressive impression. Jaune turning his head to the side and saying to his companions. "What an eccentric performance."**

Right. That previous statement? Completely taking it back. Everyone in the audience now saw that this Ozpin was only a slightly bit crazy. Not so far into the deep-end of the swimming pool that he could be considered to be no longer in the swimming pool. But crazy nonetheless.

Ironwood leaned over to his friend, an amused look on his face, and whispered to Ozpin. "Oz. Were you, ever like this?"

Ozpin, still bearing that blank look on his face, looked at Ironwood and whispered in response. "No James, I was in no way like this at any point of my life."

Really, the Headmaster of Beacon was really starting to feel that there was someone out there that enjoyed watching him suffer.

 **After a quick scene change. Tim, King Jaune and his Knights of Camelot were hiding behind an outcrop of stone that overlooked the entrance of a dark cave.** **The sound of heavy breathing could be heard coming from within the cave.** **Tim gestured to the mouth of the cave and declared to the knights in a low voice.** **"Behold the Cave of Caerbannog!"**

 **"Right, keep me covered." Jaune ordered his companions as he drew his sword and made to approach the cave. Oscar asked.** **"What with?"**

 **Jaune looked at Oscar, and shook his head as he said. "Just keep me covered."**

 **"Too late. There he is!" Tim whispered, drawing everyone's attention to the cave entrance. The audience too focused their gaze on the cave, wondering just what monster it was that lived within and was responsible for the deaths of fifty men. Emerging from the darkness of the cave was...**

"It's a cute, little bunny rabbit!" Ruby squealed.

Some of the audience awed at the appearance of the rabbit. It was just so fluffy and innocent.

Coco wrapped an arm around Velvet's shoulders and said aloud. "Aw, that little rabbit is so cute. Almost as cute as our little Velvet here."

The audience were also confused. Nothing else had exited the cave, but Tim seemed very certain that the monster was approaching. Then a thought came to mind. Was the fluffy white bunny...? No, there was no way that the rabbit could possibly be the terrifying guardian of the cave.

 **Confused as the audience was, Jaune asked Tim. "Where?"**

 **"There." Tim hissed as he pointed at the rabbit.**

 **Jaune was still confused and questioned the Enchanter. "What, behind the rabbit?"**

 **"It is the rabbit." Tim whispered.**

Okay, the audience all now agreed that this Ozpin was very likely over the deep-end. There was no way that that cute, little rabbit could be the monster that Tim had spoken off.

 **Jaune and his knights looked at Tim with incredulous looks on their faces, before Jaune went ahead and shouted. "You silly sod!"**

 **"What?"**

 **"You got us worked up." Jaune continued to shout.**

 **"That's no ordinary rabbit. That's the most foul, cruel and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on."**

 **"You tit! I soiled my armour. I was so scared." Cardin cried, prompting King Jaune to look with disgust at Cardin and the audience to chuckle a bit.**

 **Tim attempted to convince the knights the truth behind his words and said. "Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide. It's a killer!"**

"Yeah, I'm also finding a hard time believing this guy." Sun remarked, everyone agreeing with the monkey faunus. There was one person in the audience though that had a rather different opinion of the white rabbit.

Neo.

The ice-cream themed henchwoman eyed the rabbit carefully, looking into its eyes with a scrutinizing gaze. After a moment, Neo came to a conclusion. This rabbit was probably one of the deadliest creatures she had ever laid eyes upon. A killer that eclipsed the Creatures of Grimm in their hate and killer instincts. She kept quiet about it, not that she could speak in the first place anyway, and waited for her fellow audience members' reactions once the killing started.

 **"Get stuffed." Oscar grunted.** **The old man turned and snapped at the young man.** **"He'll do you up a treat, mate!"**

 **"Yeah?"**

 **"You manky Scots git!" Cardin spoke.** **Tim looked back at him and said to the orange-haired man. "I'm** **warning you."**

 **Cardin continued on. "What's he do? Nibble your bum?"**

 **"He's got huge, sharp... It can leap about... Look at the bones!"**

 **Jaune nodded at Tim and looked towards one of the new knights in his company and ordered. "Go on, Fox, chop its head off."**

 **Indeed it was the dark-skinned and white-eyed member of Team CFVY. Fox put a helmet over his head and cooly said. "Right. Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew coming right up."**

 **Fox drew his sword, brought up his shield and strode confidently towards the rabbit. Once he was near the furry little creature, Tim pointed towards them and cried out. "Look!"**

 **The white-furred rabbit leapt at Fox and attacked him, going for his neck. The rabbit made quick work of Fox and was somehow able to decapitate him.**

Everyone in the audience, apart from Neo and Alaric, were horrified by Fox's sudden death. It was just so out of the blue and there was blood everywhere. The Fox in the audience rubbed his throat and gulped after watching the other version of himself die in such a way.

"W-What? What the hell?" Velvet quivered in her seat. Seeing Fox die in such a frightful manner shook her to the core, and by a cure bunny rabbit no less.

 **"Jesus Christ!" Jaune cried out in shock and fear. Tim saying. "I warned you!"**

 **"I've done it again." Cardin timidly squeaked. Tim going on to rant. "I warned you. But did you listen to me? No, you knew it all, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it? Well, it's always the same. I always-"**

 **"Oh, shut up!" Jaune shouted at Tim.**

 **Tim ignored the king and went on with his rant. "Do they listen to me? Oh no."**

 **Jaune stood up, drew his sword and yelled loudly. "Right. Charge!"**

 **Sure enough, King Jaune and his knights went on to charge at the rabbit-monster, swords drawn and shields raised. The killer-** **rabbit was unafraid of the numerical advantage it faced and leapt between the knights, biting away at them with its nasty, big, pointy teeth. The fluffy creature of death was small and fast, it zipped past the knights with ease, killing the two other knights who had not been with King Jaune at the castle of French-Taunting.**

 **Seeing that they were no match for the monster,** **Jaune gave the order to retreat to his surviving knights.** **"Run away! Run away!"**

 **The 'brave' knights of Camelot hastily withdrew from the fight. Cardin being at the front of their disorganized retreat, and even casting aside his shield so he could run faster. Tim laughed at the knights and walked away, not bothering the help King Jaune and his knights.**

"C'mon! Help them!" Ruby yelled, frustrated that Tim did not even offer to help them fight the killer-rabbit.

"Eh, after what they said to him. I don't blame him for not wanting to help, Ruby." Yang reasoned.

 **"Right. How many did we lose?" Jaune asked his surviving companions.**

 **"Sage." Yatsuhashi replied.**

 **"Sky." Oscar added.**

 **"And Fox. That's five."**

 **"Three, sir." Oscar corrected Jaune.**

 **"Three. Three." Jaune acknowledged his mistake and continued. "We'd better not risk another frontal assault, that rabbit's dynamite."**

"Aw man. One of them was Sage? Not cool man." Sun groaned, having not realized one of the knights had in fact been one of his teammates and friend. Those who cared were also saddened by Fox's death, and no one really cared too much or at all about Sky. Those who were aware of the guy felt like he was only a minor character in their series... of events that made up their lives.

 **Cardin stood up and proposed a questionable suggestion. "Would it, help to confuse it if we ran aware more?"**

The audience frowned at Cardin's cowardice. They now understood why he had a chicken painted onto the front of his shield and emblazoned onto the front of his tabard.

"Some knight you are." Coco mumbled with a disapproving tone.

 **Jaune instantly disagreed with Cardin and ordered him about. "Shut up and change your armour."**

 **An idea formed in Oscar's head and he spoke. "Let us taunt it. It may become so cross that it will make a mistake.**

 **"Like what?" Jaune questioned.**

 **"Well..." Oscar began, but couldn't find an answer to his king's question. Another poor idea.**

 **"Have we got bows?" Yatsuhashi asked, Jaune instantly replied saying. "No."**

 **A look of realization formed on Yatsuhashi's face and he proposed another idea. "We have the Holy Hand Grenade."**

"The what?!" Blake immediately questioned. Did they just say hand grenade? Weren't they in a Medieval setting?

 **"Yes, of course! The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch. It's one of the sacred relics Brother Oobleck carries with him." King Jaune turned towards the rest of their procession and called to the three religious looking people who were part of their procession. "Brother Oobleck! Bring up the Holy Hand Grenade."**

 **The trio of religous individuals, with much reverence and some ceremony, took a small wooden box from their carriage. They walked down to the knights and handed the box over to Ren, who held it as Jaune opened the box and revealed its contents. A gilded orb with adorned with a cross ornament.**

"Is that the hand grenade?" Emerald queried. It looked nothing like a grenade, looking more like a religious or even royal symbol of office.

Roman and Neo eyed it closely, trying to gauge how much the 'Holy Hang Grenade' was worth.

 **Jaune looked curiously at the orb and asked. "How does it... How does it work?"**

 **"I know not, my liege." Yatsuhashi responded.**

 **"Consult the Book of Armaments." Jaune cried.**

 **"Armaments chapter 2: verses 9-21." Oobleck spoke in a reverent manner to the nun beside him carrying a large hard-backed book, who was in fact Nora.**

"Hey look it's me!" Nora bounced on her team's couch.

Oobleck and Blake rose an eyebrow. A seemingly religious text dedicated to armaments? That was something they hadn't thought they would ever hear about.

Meanwhile, Ruby leaned in forwards. Weapon nut that she was, the red-hooded teenager was excited to hear what the 'Book of Armaments' had inside of it. And wondered on what else could be in it.

 **"And St. Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayest blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy.' And the Lord did grin and the people did feast upon the lambs and the sloths and the carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and-"**

 **"Skip a bit, Sister." Brother Oobleck interrupted Nora, who skipped a couple paragraphs and continued to read aloud.**

 **"And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin, then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shalt be three. Four shalt thou no count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.'"**

 **As Sister Nora finished, Brother Oobleck said. "Amen."**

 **"Amen." King Jaune and his knights chorused.**

"Is that thing serious?" Blake remarked. She turned to Alaric.

Upon laying eyes on the Keeper, Blake and other members of the audience saw him holding a copy of the Book of Armaments from the universe onscreen and going over some of its contents. Seeing the audience's attention directed at him, Alaric closed the book and said. "Hmmm, don't mind me. I was just going over how a man from that world named William the Conqueror used the Righteous Minigun of Decimation on-"

"I don't think we need to know anymore about this universe than we already do." Pyrrha interrupted. Three people in the audience disagreed.

"NO! Tell me more!" Ruby cried out.

"'Righteous Minigun of Decimation,' eh? Sounds interesting." Coco thought aloud.

And Nora leapt from her couch and made a grab for the Book of Armaments. Alaric pulled it away from her, and the excitable girl fell face first onto the ground. "I want to read it! Is there a grenade launcher in it? Ooh, a grenade launcher that shoots explosive hammers that explode into smaller explosive hammers that explode so hard that they create hammers that explode something's molecules when they hit them?"

Everyone in the audience looked at Nora as if she had two heads. The girl just smiled back at them all.

"Friend of Ruby's, Nora Valkyrie, I don't think that's really possible. It goes against all laws of (Insert name of field of science here for I don't know what that would be under)." Penny spoke up.

"Yeah, uh, you're absolutely correct Penny." Alaric reinforce Penn's words. Carefully avoiding looking into people's eyes as he said that. There was no way in Hell was he going to show them the universe where Nora actually did create a weapon just like how she had described, and, in that same universe, created a scientific formula that undeniably proved how her universe was in fact a gigantic pancake.

Super genius Nora was scary in Alaric's eyes.

 **"Right." Jaune looked towards the killer-bunny and pulled the cross off of the orb and counted. "One, two, five."**

 **"Three, sir!" Oscar corrected.**

 **"Three!" Jaune parroted and threw the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards the killer-bunny. It was a good throw by the blonde-haired king, falling close to the killer-bunny and bouncing once right at its paws and exploded. Killing the terrible killer-bunny.**

"Is it over?" Weiss groaned.

"Not yet, kiddo. Not yet." Alaric replied.

Jaune decided to voice his mind on something he had noticed about this counterpart of his. "Uh, is it me or does it sound like this version of... uh, me keep on mixing up the number three with five?"

"It's him." The Keeper answered.

 **Another screen change, and the audience saw Jaune and his surviving knights emerge from the mouth of cave. Jaune looked onwards and called to his knights. "There it is! The Bridge of Death."**

 **The camera changed to show them a wide gorge, which could only be traversed by an old wood-and-rope bridge.**

 **"Oh, great." Cardin muttered.**

 **"Look, there's the old man form before." King Jaune stated as they saw a figure stood at their end of the Bridge of Death.**

 **"What's he doing here?" Ren quizzically asked.**

 **"He is the keeper of the Bridge of Death. He asks each traveler five questions." Jaune explained.**

 **"Three questions." Oscar, again, corrected his sovereign.**

 **"He who answers the five questions-" The king was corrected once more. "Three questions may cross in safety."**

 **"What if you get a question wrong?" Cardin asked. "Then you are cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril."**

"Really cheery names, huh?" Mercury commented on the names of the bridge and the gorge below.

 **"Oh, wacko." The orange-haired knight said.**

 **"Who's going to answer the questions?" Jaune offered his knights, though he immediately went ahead and decided who should.** **"Sir Cardin?"**

 **"Yes?" Cardin timidly asked. "Brave Sir Cardin, you go."**

 **"Hey! I've got a great idea. Why doesn't Yatsuhashi go?" Cardin proposed. In response, Yatsuhashi enthusiastically made to get past the others and said.**

 **"Yes, let me go, my liege. I will take him single-handed." "I shall make a feint to the northeast-"**

 **Jaune stopped his best knight and ordered him to restrain himself. "No. Hang on! Hang on! Just answer the five questions- ("Three questions."** "Why do I keep saying five?" **)** ** _-_ three questions, as best you can. And we shall watch and pray."**

 **"I understand, my liege." Yatsuhashi acknowledged his king's command and proceeded towards the bridge. Jaune wished him well. "Good luck, brave Sir Yatsuhashi. God be with you."**

 **Yatsuhashi approached the Bridgekeeper, who looked like a aged and rather ugly looking Tyrian Callows. A fiery explosion erupted nearby and the Bridgekeeper rose up his hand in a stopping gesture.**

 **"Stop!" The Bridgekeeper yelled to Yatsuhashi, who stopped where he stood. The old man went on an said. "Who would cross the Bridge of Death, must answer me these questions three. Ere the other side he see."**

Cinder frowned at the sight of the Bridgekeeper, who was the Tyrian Callows of this universe. He annoyed her in her universe, but now she had a mental image of this Tyrian's ugly face in her head now. Well, it would help drive her to get rid of him even more so than she already desired to.

"Good luck Yatsuhashi." Velvet wished her friend well.

"Thank you Velvet." The giant of a man in the audience replied for his counterpart.

 **Bravely, Yatsuhashi replied. "Ask me the questions, Bridgekeeper. I'm not afraid."**

 **"What is your name?"**

 **"My name is Sir Yatsuhashi of Camelot."**

 **"What is your quest?"**

 **"To seek the Holy Grail."**

 **"What is your favourite colour?**

 **"Blue." Yatsuhashi answered the third and final question. Once the answer passed through his lips, the Bridgekeeper stepped aside and said, in a light-hearted tone. "Right. Off you go."**

 **Yatsuhashi hesitated for a moment, looking at the Bridgekeeper and the Bridge of Death itself. After a moment's silence, Yatsuhashi walked towards the Bridge of Death and thanked the Bridgekeeper. "Well, thank you. Thank you very much."**

The audience were well and truly baffled by this. Was that it? Were people just asked their name, their quest and their favourite colour? This universe, though hilarious and some points, was very difficult for their minds to properly process. They all began to suspect a trap. There was no way that this would be that easy. The Bridge of Death was probably going to collapse under Yatsuhashi, or some vile monseter would attack him as soon as he crossed.

 **The rest of the Knights of Camelot looked on in amazement at how easily Yatsuhashi answered the Bridgekeeper's rather easy questions, and watched him safely** **cross the Bridge of Death with no sign of any threat falling upon him once he was on the other side.**

 **"That's easy." Cardin cried out, finding his 'courage' upon seeing the ease of Yatsuhashi's answering of the Bridgekeeper's questions and rushed forward towards the Bridgekeeper. The rest of the knights following closely behind him.**

 **Just like when Yatsuhashi approached him, the Bridgekeeper Cardin and the knights. "Stop! Who approacheth the Bridge of Death, must answer me these questions three. Ere the other side he see."**

 **Confidently stepping forward, Cardin said to the old Bridgekeeper. "Ask me the questions, Bridgekeeper. I'm not afraid."**

"I bet he soiled his pants again, earlier." Coco smirked, causing her teammates to lightly chuckle at her words.

 **"What is your name?"**

 **"Sir Cardin of Camelot."**

 **"What is your quest?**

 **"To seek the Holy Grail."**

 **"What is the capital of Assyria?" Was the final question posed to Cardin by the Bidgekeeper. Cardin, and the audience, were caught off guard by the question, and both parties were ignorant to what the answer was. An ignorance that would cost Cardin dearly.**

 **"I don't know that!" Cardin exclaimed. And with those words, the knight was sent flying into the Gorge of Eternal Peril by an unseen force. What happened to Cardin was not show, but judging from the sounds that followed his disappearance into the Gorge of Eternal Peril, it was probably very messy.**

That was unexpected, was the general thoughts of the audience. Then a question came to mind. What was capital of this country named 'Assyria'?

 **This time, Oscar stopped forward. The Bridgekeeper stopping him as he had done Yatsuhashi and Cardin. "Stop! What is your name?"**

 **"Sir Oscar of Camelot."**

 **"What is your quest?"**

 **"I seek the Grail."**

 **"What is your favourite colour?"**

 **That should have been an easy question to answer, but Oscar's mind slipped and said.** **"Blue. No. Yellow!"**

 **Too late. As Oscar said the word "yellow", he too was flung into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.**

"Eh, my favourite colour's green actually." Oscar uttered.

Ozpin looked at Oscar and pondered more on what the significance was behind this farmhand. Was it mere coincidence that both of their names started with the later 'O,' and that they both liked the colour green?

 **King Jaune and Sir Ren watched Oscar fell into the gorge, once he was out of sight, Jaune stepped boldly forwards and was stopped by the Bridgekeeper.** **"Stop! What is your name?"**

 **"It is Jaune, King of the Britons."**

 **"What is your quest?"**

 **"To seek the Grail."**

 **"What... is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?" The Bridgekeeper questioned Jaune.**

 **"What do you mean? An African or European swallow?" Jaune went ahead and asked the Bridgekeeper.**

 **The Bridgekeeper was confused by Jaune's question, and finding that he had no answer, replied. "I don't know that."**

 **And, with those words, the Bridgekeeper of the Bridge of Death was hurled by whatever powers ruled this strange land into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. Suffering the same fate that had befallen those who had failed to correctly answer his questions.**

 **Ren looked to Jaune and asked. "How do you know so much about swallows?"**

 **"Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know." Jaune calmly replied as he and Ren walked off-screen towards the Bridge of Death.**

 **The screen darkened until all was black.**

Seeing that it was finally over, the audience tried to form words to describe their thoughts on what they had seen. Obviously, the absolute absurdness of what this universe made that task a bit difficult.

The elder of the Schnee siblings, Winter, spoke up first. "That was... odd. Very, very, very odd."

"On that, Ice Queen, we can agree. But sure was funny, right?" Qrow added. Winter looked away and said. "It had it's moments."

"Well I think it was very amusing." Pyrrha spoke up.

As they were discussing their thoughts, a question came to mind. A question that gnawed at them from within.

"Where'd they get the coconut shells?" Yatsuhashi wondered aloud.

"Probably found them somewhere." Roman replied as he lit a cigar and put it to his mouth.

"In that country? No way! Coconuts are tropical." Sun butted in.

"What if they were carried?" Mercury joined the conversation. Emerald facepalmed and grumbled under her breath. "Please don't join this stupidity."

Taiyang too jumped into the argument and said. "By what? Swallows?"

The debate when onwards, until they were all discussing the weight ratio of sparrows and coconuts, different species of sparrows, and how a sparrow could possibly carry a coconut in the first place. Watching this debate, Keeper Alaric could only saw two words.

"Oh no."

* * *

 **Right, this was quite the chapter to right.**

 **Don't know which one to do next. I'm gonna get the second chapter of my second fanfic published after this one, and then I'll work on what universe to do after this one.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you!**


	12. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

**Author's Note:**

 **Kept you waiting, huh?**

 **Here's a chapter for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, hope you enjoy it. Might do one for Borderlands 2 in the future.**

* * *

 **Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel**

The audience finally finished their discussion on how a coconut could have possibly come to a country as temperate as the one they had just witnessed the previous universe take place in. It had been a very, very long debate. But finally, everyone in the room agreed on how coconuts could have possibly found themselves in that country. What was their conclusion?

The author wasn't bothering to answer that. Just know that it involved maybe one or more sparrows.

"Right. So, what's next Alaric?" Ruby hopped in her seat. She had enjoyed the previous universe, and still desired a copy of the Book of Armaments. If there was a religion about weapons out there in the Multiverse, she was certain that she would be very much interested in it.

Speaking of the Keeper of this Repository, Alaric was silent, his finger's steepled in front of his masked mouth, and appeared to be in deep contemplation. Hearing the debate amongst his guests end, Alaric broke from his ruminations and brought out his remote. As he pressed the many buttons on the remote, Alaric spoke. "So. Finally finished have you? Nice. Let's watch another one."

"Is it going to be as... interesting, as that last universe?" Ren asked.

Of all the universes they had seen, that last one in the top three oddest universes they had watched thus far.

"It's... interesting. Certainly odd like the last one, but it too has a charm to it. I'll leave it all up to you to decide on whether or not it appeals to your sensibilities or not." Alaric answered. Alaric brought up his remote and pressed play.

 **The screen opened to a view of among the clouds. The camera moved to focus on something floating in the clouds. It reminded the audience of Amity Colosseum, if the airborne colosseum was a floating town in the sky that is. Interestingly, there was no visible contraption or device that was responsible for the town's ability to remain suspended in the air as it was. Another thing of note was that it seemed that the floating town had been ripped from the ground, judging by the look of the concrete and exposed steel bars.**

"That thing reminds me of a Schnee Dust Company mining town, except it's more packed together and in the sky. Why is it in the sky anyway?" Yang asked the Keeper.

"It used to be a mining town. As to why and how it's in the sky... well, a woman with mystical powers teleported it up there." Alaric explained. His explanation once more dumbfounding the audience members.

"Uh, what?" Was Emerald's response to Alaric's words.

"Don't think about it too hard. Just watch the TV."

 **The camera cut to the edge of the floating town, where the audience saw eight people near the edge. Four were in a line, one appeared to be tied to a pole, two stood by the previous one, and the eighth was walking up to the last seven.**

 **Getting a closer look at the person approaching the edge, the camera showed a woman with short blonde hair and green eyes walking towards the congregation there. She wore a close-fitting sleeveless shirt, tattered pants, and strange blue tattoos over the left side of her body. Though she was less covered than her counterpart in the audience, and was not wearing her glasses and cape, the audience could recognize her as Glynda Goodwitch.**

"I must say Glynda, this other version of you appears less... strict with herself." Ozpin commented.

Glynda did not say anything back, and seemed more concerned in keeping a straight face as she looked on this other version of herself. For she reminded her of her rebellious teenage years, particularly the hair and the clothing that this other her was wearing. She was more carefree back then, far more aggressive in temperament, and maybe or maybe not more scary than how she was right now.

A few others in the audience were attempting to sear the image of this other version of Glynda into their minds. For, uh, reasons.

"Oh, fun fact. This version of you is responsible for sending that town, Sanctuary, into the sky. Pretty neat, huh?" Alaric informed Glynda. Indeed, Glynda had to admit that it was an impressive feat and wondered just how powerful this version of her was. That information also made a couple of the students in Beacon audibly gulp nervously. How could Professor Goodwitch get any scarier?

 **The other Glynda walked up to the person tied to the pole, the two people stood next to them walking past her. One was a tall, muscular brute in a get-up like that of a member of a biker-gang. His arm was wrapped over the shoulder of a shorter, thinner man who gave off vibes of a survivalist from the wilds.**

 **"You've got some explaining to do, Tiger." Glynda said to the person tied up to the pole. The camera changed to show Glynda's back, and showed just who it was that was tied that she was talking to.**

 **It was a woman. She wore red armour over her forelegs, left knee, right thigh, chest, left shoulder and wrist. Grey pants, a brown leather jacket over her chest armour and a black scarf around her head. Her face was exposed to show that the woman was in fact Pyrrha Nikos.**

"Pyrrha!" Ruby and Nora cheered at seeing their friend on the screen. The girl herself was glad that she was on the TV screen, but was highly concerned for the predicament the other her was in.

Blake, Ironwood, Oobleck, Ozpin, and Winter were also concerned because they had read or were familiar with one reason why people would be tied to a pole in such a manner. Death by firing squad.

 **"Trained from childhood as an Atlas assassin with over a thousand successful jobs to your name." Glynda continued, surprising the audience.**

"Assassin?" Pyrrha said in shock. She had anticipated that many other versions of herself would be combatants in some way or another, but she had never envisioned that one of her alternate versions would be an assassin. One with a daunting number of "successful jobs" that could only mean that she killed at least a thousand people.

The other members of the audience were also shocked. Not one amongst them could ever imagine the caring girl that was Pyrrha Nikos being an assassin, until now that is.

Mercury and Neo secretly looked on in intrigue. Pyrrha Nikos, an assassin? Over a thousand successful jobs? That, the two could admit, was very impressive. Marcus Black, Mercury's father, had been one of Remnant's most skilled assassins had only completed over 150 jobs. This world must have a very high demand for hired killers.

When the word Atlas was brought up, the audience looked towards Ironwood and Winter, but Alaric stepped in and explained what this world's Atlas was. "Atlas in this universe isn't a Kingdom. It's an interplanetary megacorporation involved in the making things such as spaceships and weapons. This Pyrrha was a member of its private military."

Okay. The audience weren't really sure if Alaric's explanation made them feel better or not.

 **"Damn near killed my two best men before they brought you in." Glynda said, looking over to the two men that were walking away.**

 **The tall, muscular one heard Glynda's words and said. "She said we're her best men. That makes me feel good."**

 **The larger of the two men slapped the other man on the back. The smaller man lurched forward because of his companion's slap on his back and quietly grunted. "Ow."**

Just from hearing their voices, the people in the audience could tell who they were.

Everyone recognized the taller, muscular man to be Taiyang Xiao Long, the blonde-haired huntsman and single father of two. The thinner man they realized was none other than Qrow Branwen, the drunken huntsman.

 **"Here's how it is, Pyrrha." Glynda turned and looked back at Pyrrha, she advanced forward in a threatening manner. "I'm gonna ask you a single question. And, if I don't like your answer, you will die."**

"Yeesh. What did red-head do to piss her off so much." Roman remarked, taking a sip of alcohol from the crystal glass that Alaric provided him.

Ironwood, Qrow and Taiyang were sat frozen in their seats. A flashback to a time years ago playing in their minds, Alaric secretly watching that as well as the universe on screen. For their universe's Glynda had said words similar to those she had just said before.

 _(Flashback Start)_

 _A few years ago, Beacon Academy_

 _"G-Glynda. P-P-Please be reasonable." Ironwood begged the blonde-haired woman as he sat tied to a chair by tight ropes. With him were Taiyang and Qrow, also tied to chairs. And stood before them was Glynda herself, a riding crop in hand, and a cold-stare fixed on the three unfortunate men._

 _"Now, here's how things will go." Glynda spoke in a tone that sent chills of fear up the spines of the three men as she paced around the three. "I'm going to ask you three a question. And, if I don't like what I hear, you will die. Understand?"_

 _The three men nodded. "Good. Now, which one of you spiked my morning coffee with alcohol?"_

 _"It's all Qrow's fault!" Taiyang immediately confessed. "H-He thought you needed to 'lighten up,' so he slipped some alcohol into your coffee. Please don't kill me! I got a kid on the way!"_

 _Glynda's eyes flashed towards Qrow who jumped in fright. The blonde woman leaned forward, her voice close to being a whisper. "Is what Tai said true, Qrow?"_

 _"Yes." Qrow confessed, shrinking underneath Glynda's piercing glare._

 _Glynda nodded and said. "Thank you for your honesty, Qrow."_

 _"So, uh, can me and James leave?" Taiyang asked Glynda. The two men not wanting to see what punishment she would perform._

 _"Oh no, Tai. You and James will be staying here for a while longer." Glynda responded._

 _"W-Why?" Ironwood asked._

 _"Because Peach told me that she saw the two of you recording me whilst I was... inebriated."_

 _That was when the three men knew that they were already dead._

 _(Flashback End)_

"Uh, dad? Uncle Qrow?" Yang said as she and Ruby looked in confusion at the looks of horror on their, and General Ironwood's, faces. Alaric pulled his mind away from the three men's, he'd seen more than enough to know where that was going.

 **"Aim at the prisoner." Glynda ordered the four others at the edge of the floating town. They looked like members of a ragtag militia group or even bandits who'd scavenged military equipment and carried themselves like soldiers. Their red armour and differently coloured weapons looked to be military grade, though they hardly looked to be factory-fresh.**

 **"Now. I will only ask you this once. Why?" The camera slowly focused on Pyrrha's face as Glynda spoke. The former-assassin looked up and spoke at last.**

 **"That is a long story."**

 **The camera flew up to her left eye, and the screen changed into somewhat cartoonish art style, the only colours being brown and black. The audience saw four people, this world's Glynda, Taiyang, Qrow, and what looked like Ironwood, standing over a dead one-eyed Peter Port in a mechsuit. Pyrrha could be seen observing them from the background.**

"Ooh. Flashback story time." Nora spoke up.

 **"After the fall of General Port, I wandered Pandora as a hired gun. One day, I received a job offer from a low-level Hyperion programmer. 'Come to the moon' it said. 'Hunt a Vault, be a hero.'" The audience saw Pyrrha wander a wasteland, listening to device that must be her world's equivalent of a scroll, and then a rocket fly towards a H-shaped structure over a moon. "I didn't trust Hyperion, but I was too hungry to pass up a paying job."**

"She went to space?" Pyrrha breathed in amazement.

Now that really caught the attention of the audience. Only the depths of the ocean as unexplored as space. The people of Remnant's failed attempts to go beyond their world's atmosphere was well-known and well-documented. For whatever reasons, the Dust used in the propulsion of anything they sent to space failed upon leaving the planet.

To learn that this world was capable of leaving their world was beyond amazing.

"What is a 'Vault'? And what's Hyperion?" Oscar asked.

"The first one's a whole lot of nasty. And the second is a megacorporation filled and run by assholes." Alaric answered.

 **"And what did you find?" Glynda continued to interrogate Pyrrha. The screen then showed Pyrrha standing before three new individuals, the rocket and the moon in the background.**

 **There was a short, boxy robot with two arms at its side, a single wheel for movement, and one eye for sight. A woman whose outfit greatly resembled that of a cowgirl's. And a large man with a bionic right eye.**

In the audience, Ruby, Penny, Ozpin, Ironwood, Winter, Cinder and Blake felt that they recognized at least one of the three people onscreen.

Ruby, Penny, Ironwood and Winter feeling a sense of familiarity towards the robot. Blake felt something tug at her heart when she laid eyes on the cowgirl. Whilst, Ozpin and Cinder felt that they knew the man with the bionic eye somehow.

 **"Violence. Insanity. And..." The camera focused on the moon. The celestial body transforming into a circular symbol with a tall, upside-down V inside it. Standing in the arch was a silhouette of a man. "A hero."**

"A hero?" Ruby questioned Alaric. The Keeper examined the fingers of his gloved right hand and stated. "More of a jackass who thought he was a hero."

 **The scene changed and the screen was now back to a real-life setting. Before them, the audience saw the large H-shaped structure in space over the moon they had seen earlier. Seeing it against the moon gave the audience a sense of just how large the structure was.**

 **The camera panned downwards, the moon and the station in the sky disappearing off-screen, a dog-like creature with bone-like plates over their body coming on screen.**

"Uh, what is that?" Sun questioned. In the background, Zwei began to growl at the creature on screen.

"It's a skag. An indigenous species of this planet, Pandora." Alaric explained. "Planet's a... quite the crazy place. You wouldn't last there without a weapon, a helluva lot of weapons. Mainly guns. A lot of guns."

"Is it like Remnant?" Velvet asked.

Alaric shook his head and said. "Nope. Planets populated by all sorts of dangerous wildlife and crazed bandits. Can't say there's an established government there either. Best places to live on Pandora if you want to live a life that doesn't end in you getting horribly maimed by the wildlife, or, shot full of holes or blown up by bandits are a couple scattered settlements filled with less crazy people. Even then there's the chance of any of the things I mentioned happening."

 **The skag let out its tongue, which flew besides its mouth, reminding the audience of how dogs would sometimes act when they looked out of car windows. The camera panned backwards to reveal that the dog-like creature was stood atop a fast-moving vehicle.**

 **A quick change, and the camera was flew down a long motorway in a desert wasteland. The audience were now presented with a view of a convoy of salvaged and highly modified vehicles. Driving or standing on top of these vehicles were a band of men, most wearing enclosing helmets or masks, with jackets and pants. While some were bare-chested dwarves wearing masks that resembled hockey masks over their faces. A song, Black Dragon by The Vines, playing in the background.**

"You weren't lying about the whole crazy bandits thing." Yang admitted. Everyone of the bandits was laughing, ignoring the dangers of standing on a fast-moving vehicle. A few of the bandits were even riding on the sides of their vehicles. "Song's also kinda good."

 **The bandits drove up alongside a slowly accelerating yellow rocket-ship. The audience realized that it was the same one that Pyrrha and those other three people, well, two people and a robot, had stood before earlier.**

 **Several of the raiders clambered onto top of their vehicles and a few brought up a large, makeshift grappling launcher over their shoulder and fired at the rocket. Hooks on the end of long chains were shot from the launchers and latched onto the rocket, several of the raiders grabbed hold of the chains and leapt onto the rocket.**

"They're gonna try and hijack the rocket?" Mercury voiced his thoughts aloud.

"They'll probably end up blowing themselves up." Emerald responded.

 **On one of the raiders' vehicles, a catapult bearing a barrel was on its back. Two masked dwarves held onto it, and for good reason. The barrel was fired from the catapult, and flew towards the rocket. If the dwarves had intended to land on it, it failed, and the barrel violently struck the back of a bandit's head. Making the man lose his grip on his chain and fall off the rocket.**

"They thought that would work?" Weiss said, questioning the intelligence of those bandits.

"Eh, points for trying." Roman spoke up. When people looked at him, he continued to speak. "What? I can't voice my opinions?"

 **The rocket began to accelerate even more and more. The bandits were able to open up some hatches on the rocketship's exterior and sealed themselves inside as the rocket reached the end of the accelerator and flew into the air.**

 **The rocket breached the planet' atmosphere in no time and neared the H-shaped space station.**

 **The audience finally got a view of the inside of the rocket, particularly the passenger area. There, they saw Pyrrha and her three companions. Behind them, the bandits dropped into the room, and began drawing their weapons. One of the taller ones wearing an orange mask drew a crude axe and charged at the four.**

 **One of them, the man with the bionic eye leapt from his seat and shot the bandit twice with a yellow rifle while in mid-air. The bandit fell, and as his body collapsed onto the floor, the man stabbed the bladed stock of his rifle into the bandit's chest as soon as he landed onto the floor. The man looked up, allowing a better view of his facial features. From behind his shoulders, two small drones appeared. As this happened, some text appeared on screen and time suddenly slowed, the words saying "Hazel as the Enforcer."**

Ozpin and Cinder recognised the man, a member of Salem's inner circle and someone who hated Ozpin's guts to hell and beyond.

 **Pyrrha leapt over Hazel, a round shield over her left forearm. The bandits shot at her with their cobbled together excuse of firearms, but the red-haired woman blocked their bullets with her shield. A set of retractable blades emerged from the shields edge.**

 **Pyrrha threw her shield. Most of the bandits got out of the way as the shield flew through the air, but one bandit at the other side of the room didn't react quickly enough and was struck by Pyrrha's shield. The shield richoetted off the bandit and returned to Pyrrha's forearm. Just like with Hazel, time slowed and words appeared onscreen. The words being "Pyrrha as the Gladiator."**

"Wow! Even other universe you is pretty cool, Pyrrha!" Jaune said to Pyrrha, the red-haired girl smiled and thanked her partner for his compliment. Internally, she was squealing in joy.

Others in the audience were also very impressed by this other Pyrrha, being just as if not more epic than theirs.

Ruby was staring at other Pyrrha's shield, and squealed in excitement at the appearance of the retractable blades, and how she had used it as a weapon.

 **The other woman in the group got up from her seat and calmly walked past her companions. Quickly correcting her hat as she did so.**

 **The woman unholstered a pair of revolvers and shot four times, killing four of the remaining bandits with each pull of the trigger. Getting a closer look at the woman, the audience watched her push the front of her hat with the muzzle of one of her revolvers. Revealing short black-hair, and amber eyes. Time slowed once again, and the text that followed say "Kali as the Lawbringer."**

"Woah, whose she? She's hot!" Sun said aloud. Neptune, Qrow, Mercury and Roman silently agreed with him. Yang felt that she looked familiar somehow.

With an embarrassed look on their face, Blake spoke up. "Sun. That's my mom."

A long awkward silence followed Blake's declaration. A silence broken when Alaric boldly said. "She's your hot mom, Ms Belladonna. You can't deny that. Your universe's Kali is also pretty good with firearms, if I recall."

Blake rolled her eyes and returned to watching the events onscreen. Secretly, she was more than delighted to see her mother again, though she was wholly unsure whether or not she had the strength to come face-to-face with her universe's mother. She would like to in the future, same went for her father, Ghira Belladonna. Just not yet.

 **It was now the fourth and final member of the group's turn to be introduced. The short, boxy robot rolled up to the last of the bandits without a weapon in its metal hands.**

"Ooh, I bet it's gonna turn into some kinda super-mega-ultra battle robot with chainsaws for hands, rockets for feet, and an awesome eye laser!" Nora said as she bounced on her seat in excitement.

"I too am excited to see what the little robot is capable of." Penny added, excited to see another robot.

 **The robot spun and struck a pose. A disco ball appearing from nowhere above it. The bandit, and the audience, were stunned by what was in front of them. This gave the robot time to jump into the air and... Hey! Where'd it get the wizard hat and magic wand?**

"What?" Was everyone's response to what they were seeing.

 **The short robot spun around one more time. This time it was wearing a fedora hat and wielding a sniper rifle.**

 **The robot shot the bandit point-blank, killing him, and knocking the robot onto its back due to the recoil. The robot was instantly back on its, uh, wheel, and leapt triumpantly into the air. The text that appeared for the robot said "And Penny as a mistake."**

Okay, that was a bit of a shocker for the audience. The robot onscreen was Penny, and being called a mistake made most of them feel bad for the 'girl.' But still, what the hell did they just watch? The audience turned to the Keeper, questioning looks on their faces. Alaric, seeing them looking at him, shrugged his shoulders and said.

"Don't look at me. I'm just as confused as you are."

The Penny in the audience looked down sadly upon seeing the text that accompanied her counterpart. She personally thought that the little robot was actually interesting, and wanted to meet this other version of her. Ruby, seeing her friend's mood, wrapped an arm around Penny's shoulder to comfort the robot-girl.

 **"If the Lost Legion hadn't ambushed Helios Station... everything might have gone a different way." Pyrrha's voice spoke once more.**

 **The scene then changed to a sight of outer space. The four's rocket flew past the camera, as well as a large green spaceship with white accents.**

 _'That vessel must be larger than any Altesian Airship.'_ Ironwood thought to himself, impressed with the size of the ship and wondering what weaponry it wielded.

 **A part of the green spaceship opened up, and a large missle pod emerged and fired a single missile at the rocket.**

"Oh no." Ruby whispered.

 **Cut back to the inside of the rocket, Hazel looked at Kali and shook his head with a sigh as red alarm lights began to go off. Curiously, everything was now silent, apart from a new song being played in the background. The song being Goodbye by The Vines.**

 **Back on screen, Penny hugged Pyrrha, who didn't really know what to do in her current situation. Another scene changed showed the missle getting closer and closer to the rocketship.**

 **Pyrrha, deciding to comfort Penny, gently placed a hand on top of Penny.**

 **The missile hit the rocketship close to its engine. Inside, the artificial gravity systems in the rocket failed as explosions began to go off inside the rocket. The four passengers were shown floating aimlessly in the zero-gravity environment of their ship.**

 **The rocket still flew on its pre-planned course towards one of the space station's docking areas, though its speed was dangerously fast and showed no sign of stopping. The rocketship was about to enter, and by enter I mean crash, into the docking area, when the camera changed to a view of the side of the Helios station facing the moon. The camera slowly zoomed out, as it did so, an explosion could be seen on the 'eye' of Helios Station.**

 **The screen turned black.**

Ren was the first to speak once the TV was turned off. "Well, you hadn't been lying, Mr Alaric. It was interesting."

"I thought it was kinda fun." Velvet spoke up, surprising everyone in the audience. Of all the people present, she was the one to first say that she liked. Don't get me wrong, she had moments of confidence every now and then, but, for her to say outright that she liked this universe was a bit of a surprise for those who knew her.

"So, they're okay, right?" Neptune asked. A bit concerned for the lives of the four who had been on the rocketship.

Alaric waved off his concerns and calmly replied. "Don't worry. They survived, and Pyrrha doesn't get killed by Glynda. Now, excuse me for a moment as I prepare the next universe."

* * *

 **There we go.**

 **Currently working on a chapter where the audience react to Youtuber VaatiVidya's recent video, Prepare To Cry Remastered - The Legend of Artorias the Abysswalker. Though that doesn't mean it'll be the next one. If I know myself at all, I might start work on another chapter before I finish that one and publish it next.**

 **I don't know. We'll just have to see.**

 **Oh, and if anyone reading is fluent in German, could you please translate the text in italic below this paragraph into German. I've omitted the name of the person speaking for it would ruin the surprise I got planned. I could use Google Translate, but I don't trust the results I've gotten. It's gonna be used in a future chapter.**

 _"I am so sorry, madam. My name is Prince **** ******. Please, forgive me. What is your name?"_

 _"Pardon me? My apologies, but my understanding of English is not very good."_

 _"So... My God. You are me?"_

 **Anyways. I'll see you all when I next see.**


	13. Artorias the Abysswalker

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay, this chapter was supposed to have been posted days ago, however, it took a bit longer than expected to finish this. Partially due to procrastination. Well, it's here now, so... yeah. And this one will be one of the few universes that will not have RWBY characters in it. Few mind you.**

 **Most of the chapters will have universes where there are RWBY characters, but, I will write one's such as this where there are none to be seen.**

 **Next chapter's gonna be one where the audience react to a universe, followed by an interlude.**

 **Chapter 14 I plan to be one about Destiny, probably the Last Stand of the Gunslinger or something else. It's just a plan though, and plans can change.** **We'll just have to see.**

 **Hope you all enjoy. And remember,** **in the Multiverse, anything can happen.**

* * *

 **Prepare To Cry Remastered: The Legend of Artorias the Abysswalker**

Alaric was pressing the various buttons on his remote, while the audience spoke amongst themselves. The new arrivals, Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, Roman, and Neo were filled in on the events of the universes that the audience had seen before the Keeper pulled them in the Repository.

When the Keeper finished, he announced to everyone present. "Alright everyone, next universe's ready."

"Is it going to be like the previous ones?" Jaune asked. Alaric shook his head and responded.

"Oh no. This universe... this universe will be something else. Do keep in mind, this was recorded by another Keeper, one who loves to create what he refers to as 'lore videos.' Where he collates information from the universe to make an informative video of certain subjects about a universe. Other Keepers also do this as well. I enjoy them, and this was one he made not too long ago. Let's watch." Alaric pressed the play button on his remote.

 **The TV came to life, and on the screen were four armoured warriors.**

 **At the far-left, was a woman wearing a blue robe and waistcloth, dark gloves, and a porcelain mask lined with locks of ivory hair. In her hands was a dark-silver curved dagger, and a curved sword with a orange and yellow blade.**

 **Mid-left, was a male warrior wearing silver plate armour, chainmail, and blue cloth. A silver, plumed helmet was worn over a blue cloth shroud that covered his head. He rested on his right shoulder a tall greatsword, and carried a greatshield with his left arm.**

 **Mid-right, a warrior in golden plate armour with a red plume at the back of a helm made to resemble the face of a lion. They wielded no weapon except from a unique looking spear that possessed a crossguard.**

 **To the far-right, a giant of a warrior wearing heavy armour, wielding a massive greatbow.**

 **"In Gwyn's Age of Fire, there were four knights who distinguished themselves above all others." A soft voice spoke from the speakers.**

"The voice speaking belongs to the Keeper who recorded this. You'll hear him a lot throughout this one." Alaric said to the audience, a couple of them nodding in response to this.

The audience were intrigued by the mention of an 'Age of Fire.' What that ultimately meant they had to wait and see.

 **"First, there was Hawkeye Gough. Who fought in the First War, against the dragons. He exalted in the thrill of the hunt, plucking dragons out of the sky with his enormous Greatbow." The giant warrior was then shown drawing a massive arrow with his equally immense Greatbow. He loosed the arrow at a great black dragon, striking its side whilst in midflight.**

The audience were amazed at the sight of Gough. He was a giant, and that greatbow and arrow of his were also so large they were sure none of them could wield it. And it appeared that dragons were real living creatures in that universe, that sounded both rather cool and frightening at the same time.

When they watched Gough shoot down that large, black-scaled dragon, the audience admired the skill he displayed in being able to shoot down such a far away moving target. Cinder too had to admit that it was a fine shot, being a capable archer herself.

Ruby was glad they were being shown the weapons of this universe. Sure they were old weapons, and no way as cool as her Crescent Rose, they were still cool in their own ways. But she really wished to see some transforming weapons sometime soon. It would be so cool to see what such weapons in other universes would be like.

 **The giant warrior, Gough, was now sitting silently atop a tower making carvings out of wood. "Soon, the only dragons left were in his memories. Which he revisited endlessly."**

That made several, particularly the huntsmen and huntsmen-in-training, in the audience think. Would that be them? If the Grimm were defeated in their lifetimes, what good were warriors who fought the Grimm if there were no Grimm? And like this Gough, many of them also thrilled in their battles with the Grimm. They could retreat to civilian life, or become part of organization such as the military or some other force where there was use for Aura-users.

But wouldn't they too miss their days of fighting the Grimm, and sink into the memories of those days? For that was their purpose. To fight the hordes of Grimm and protect the people of Remnant. The situation of the first universe they saw came to mind, where man fought against man. The huntsmen in the audience resolved for that kind of world to never happen.

Secretly, Mercury and Emerald had a quick thought run through their heads. What would they do once they helped Cinder achieve her goals? I mean, there was the journey and then the compleyion of one's goals, but what do you do after? For the most part, the two had loyally followed Cinder's directions and assumed that she had a plan for them in the future after Beacon fell and she got the rest of the Fall Maiden's power. But after that, what then?

This made the two look at each other with concerned looks on their faces. But they looked away and ept watching. Confident that Cinder had a plan. She always had a plan.

 **"Fighting on the ground was Ornstein the Dragonslayer. He wielded a long, lightning Cross-spear that could be stabbed deep into a dragon's hide." The golden knight thrust his spear at the screen with surprising agility.**

"Ooooh, a 'Cross-spear'? That looks so cool!" Ruby squealed. If she became excited when she laid eyes upon weapons, she practically bounced about everywhere when she saw a weapon design she'd never heard or seen before.

"Yeesh. Some one get Lil' Red to pipe down." Torchwick grunted, annoyed at how hyped Ruby was behaving. He wasn't really interested in watching this universe, and was sat playing poker with Neo and Zwei.

Yes. Roman Torchwick, Neo, and Zwei were playing poker.

How Zwei was able and knowledgeable in how to play a card game left everyone apart for his owners' scratching their heads in confusion at the sight. They decided to let it go, and return to watching the universe.

 **"It's curious design went on to remind many of an exiled god of war, though, none of them dared to speak his name."** **A tall being wearing highly worn royal regalia, with a tall golden crown with long hair-like strands of ash atop his head emerged from a rush of clouds. He too wielded a Cross-spear, though it was different to what Ornstein carried, golden lightning crackled around the tip. Disturbingly, this being's skin was dark grey, and what they could see of his face appeared skeletal.**

"So, that guy's a 'god of war?' He doesn't look so tough, scary, but I think I can take him." Yang boasted.

A sudden gush of strong wind burst the door to the room wide open and swept through the entire room. In the strong wind the audience could faintly hear thousands of voices wailing in despair and rage. Shortly thereafter, the wind retreated out the door, the sound of thunder cracking through the air as the door was slammed shut.

"Uh, what was that?" Neptune asked.

Alaric shuddered and replied, not giving a straight answer once again. "A whole lot of pain."

The audience looked to each other and shrugged. Returning to watching the narrated events on screen.

 **"And then, there was Ciaran. Whose talents varied considerably from the previous two. A stealthy assassin. She would have been no match for dragons, and so, she must have killed for Gwyn in the Age of Fire to follow." The blue-clothed woman was shown stabbing a man wearing armour made of what looked like scales of stone in the back.**

 **"She dazzled her foes with streaks of gold in the night. And stung with the vicious poison of her silver tracer." Ciaran spun, golden light trailing behind the blade of her sword as she swept it through the air. Followed by a stabbing thrust of her dagger.**

The two Schnees in the audience admired the craftsmanship of Ciaran's blades, and her elegant fighting style.

 **"But, in the Age of Man to come. None were as well equipped as the great knight, Artorias." The silver and blue knight was seen walking past the fallen corpse of a dark knight. "For nothing. Not dragons. Nor disunity. Nor even his enemies, frightened Gwyn like the Dark."**

The audience were a bit confused as too what the narrator meant by how this Gwyn was afraid of 'the Dark.' Did he have a literal phobia of the dark or was this a reference to something else? And this 'Age of Man,' what was that?

"So, what? This Gwyn guy can't go to bed without a night-light?" Mercury jokingly remarked.

"No, the Dark referenced is most definitely not what you're all think. Let me explain." Alaric began, sitting himself more comfortably on his chair. "This is as good an explaination as I can give without going into too much detail. In this universe, there is supposed to be an Age of Fire, where the world is filled with light and ruled by a race called the 'Gods', whose souls of light were powerful. The Age of Man is what should follow after the end of the Age of Fire. Humanity in this universe was born of a literal darkness, their souls of a different nature to the Gods, for they were fueled by emotion. Gwyn, the ruler of the Gods, feared Humanity as much as the world that would come to be once his Age of Fire ended."

"So, he was afraid of losing his power over the world to Humanity?" Blake surmised. Alaric shrugged his shoulders and said. "More or less. Like almost all people who gain power, the greatest thing they come to fear is not just losing it, but who or what they will lose it to."

 **"The Dark Soul of Man filled the Lord of Light with fear. For one day, Gwyn knew, the fire would fade. And Humanity would inherit the world. His world. So, whilst he still had time and power, Gwyn began to rig the world in his favour."**

"'The Dark Soul of Man'?" Cinder queried. Interested by what she had heard.

" _The_ Dark Soul of Man. The Dark Soul was one of four unique and powerful Lord Souls. This Lord Soul was crucial in the creation of the human race in this universe." Alaric explained.

 **The camera focused on the chestplate of a dark-armoured warrior. Disturbingly, on the chestplate, was what looked like a circular hole lined with reddish fire.**

 **"Mankind had stood amongst those who set out to slay the Ancient Dragons. And, as if in thanks, Gwyn bestowed upon Pygmies and Men, the Ringed City." An image of a city with tall spires and dome ceilings within a tall ring-like rock formation as tall as mountains was shown. "An enormous, gilded city. Located at World's End."**

The audience looked on in amazement. It was unlike any city they had seen before. Like the narrator had said, it was a stone city surrounded by a great ring of stone that reached high into the sky. But, after what the narrator and Alaric had said, they knew that this was more than likely a gilded cage than a home for Humanity.

"What are 'Pygmies'?" Oscar asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"It's a word used to describe something that is of short stature, or shorter than what is usual. It's also a derogatory word if you use it in a certain way." Ozpin answered the teenager's question.

 **"The walls were as tall as mountains. And above them soared Midir, an immortal arch-dragon that was raised by the gods." It was dark, but the audience could see the winged shape of a black-scaled dragon soar in the sky and land of some tall cliffs.**

"A dragon? Impressive." Cinder spoke quietly. Seeing that first dragon and now this one made her really want a dragon for herself. A couple others were also thinkin the same thing as the raven-haired girl, though of course for different reasons than what Cinder had running through her head. While others wanted to face a dragon.

For example, Nora not only wanted to fight a dragon, but she wanted to fight it alongside Ren. And when they killed it, they could sell its scales for a profit, or even make badass weapons with its teeth and claws, or even tame it and ride into battle. Now that would be a sight to see.

Ren and Blake meanwhile imagined a dragon being a sage-like mentor to them. That'd be cool.

Sun, Neptune, Yang, and Port imagined themselves standing over the defeated body a dragon, wearing sunglasses over their eyes. Flocked by screaming fans, a massive explosion in the background for some reason, and the odd firework. All that becoming rendered into a cool statue in front of every Huntsmen Academy.

Pyrrha was fantasizing of a situation where a damsel in distress, her, was saved by a handsome knight in shining white armour, Jaune, from an evil dragon. Jaune was also imagining the same thing, though, replace Pyrrha with Weiss.

Qrow imagined what it would be like to have a dragon as a drinking buddy. A bad idea if there ever was one. The huntsman shrugged and took another sip from his glass.

Ruby squealed after imagining Zwei having the ability to transform into a dragon, or even a dog-dragon, and she would ride atop his back and fight the Grimm. She also imagined that she would grow as tall and strong as Yang whenever she brought out Crescent Rose in its weapon-form, accompanied by lightning and a cool soundtrack. Alaric, who was watching his audience's thoughts, was a bit concerned about how that mental image in Ruby's head greatly resembled a version of her which became incredibly powerful after drawing out a sword and shouting 'BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL!'

 **The scene changed once again, this time to a slumbering woman in a white dress and dark hair within a confining room, resting on a large broken egg. "Below slumbered Gwyn's youngest daughter, the Princess Filianore. A woman of enormous faith and power, who Gwyn gave up to protect the Pygmies till the very end of the world."**

A few in the audience were rather taken by the sight of this woman, Princess Filianore. Despite her great height compared to them and that dark stuff coming down from her shut eyes, she looked attractive in the eyes of several in the audience.

 **"And at first glance, you might think these acts benevolent. You might think they were kind. But, in the end, it was just a trick of the light.** **The walls were not for protection. The dragon had an eternal duty to battle the Dark. And Gwyn's daughter, Filianore, would never see her father again." The TV screen then showed how tall the walls of the Ringed City were. Showed the dragon breathing fire on some poor unfortunate soul. And then the cadaver of the slumbering woman, the egg she had rested on broken.**

"Oh no." Ruby mumbled. Seeing Filianore like that saddened her. How she didn't get to see her father again made her sad as well, but when she considered the kind of person this Gwyn sounded like, it was not as saddening to her as she would have felt if it was someone else.

 **"The purpose of the Ringed City was not to protect the holders of the original Dark Soul. It was to imprison them, like a ring of fire that encircles the darkness of humanity."** **An image of a hole filled devoid of anything but darkness surrounded by a ring of fire was displayed.** **"And man was in fact branded with this very seal. The Dark Sign."**

 **"And, despite clear evidence of their heroism in the war against the Dragons, their dark knights were never lauded for their service." One of the Dark Knights mentioned was shown. Their armour was black, the head of what looked like a dragon in their left hand, and a sword in the other. They wore no helm, but a black hood, and underneath that was a skeletal face. The Dark Sign branded on their chestplate.**

The audience were angered by how Humanity was treated in this universe. The faunus in the audience were reminded of how their people were treated, though in this universe, it was humanity that was being oppressed and in ways that could be considered worse than who they had been treated.

This sight of the knight was rather disconcerting to the people of Remnant.

 **"So it's no wonder then that in all the spellcraft and hexes that stem from humanity, one thing remains constant." Strange wavy spirit like beings were shown. A white aura surrounding their forms, and a pair of white lights that look like eyes on their heads.** **"It craves a free will of its own, and writhes against its shackles."**

 **"Perhaps the first example of this was the Mad King. He was Pygmy royalty, and he rebelled against the Light. We have no idea what crimes he committed, but, they must have been terrible. For he was put to death by Shira, the Knight of Filianore." A woman in a dress was now on screen. In her hands was a tall cross-spear. The skeletal frame of something was twisted about the speartip. "Only, the Mad King would not die, and Shira, with the Mad King impossibly entwined around her spear. Had no choice, but to hold him quietly in a dark room, until the end of time."**

"What the hell?" Coco muttered as she heard what the narrator had just said, and laid eyes on the skeleton about the spear. That was messed up. And the 'Mad King' was still alive?

Over by Professor Port, his moustache trembled at the mention of the title 'Mad King' for some reason.

 **A new city was now onscreen. Dominated by shadows, the only lights present were the odd blue flames and a pale blue light that reached down from above. It looked like the city was underground, or somewhere where sunlight was scarce.** **"There were, of course, other human cities outside of the Ringed City. One such example was the dark city of New Londo, which was governed by four human kings and protected by Knights of the Dark Blade."**

 **The silhouettes of four strange shapes were seen, and a hooded warrior was seen prowling about the dark city.**

 **"The Kings were renowned for their foresight, and they had fragments of Gwyn's very own soul bestowed upon them, so they could better govern their people." One of the Kings was now revealed, and the audience were shocked once again. He had the head of a human, his hair was grey and skin alike to silver. Protrusions from his head gave off the appearance of a crown, but it was the rest of his body that was the reason for the audience's shock.**

"What the fudge?" Ruby muttered to herself, though, her father was able to hear her.

"Ruby!"

"Wha-! I didn't swear, I promise! I just said fudge. Honest!" The red-hooded girl swiftly said, diffusing her father's concerns. But honestly, Ruby's shocked reaction could be forgiven.

 **The King's body was... uh... well a... it was... The audience, and the author, honestly found it very hard to describe the rest of the King's body.** **It had a vaguely human shape, that much they could say. Their right arm was still there, though it had been twisted like much of the rest of their body, and a sword was either held or become part of his arm. The rest of the body, well, I'm not going to even attempt to describe it.**

 **"Of course, this too was another trick of the light. For what lies at the top of New Londo, but Firelink Shrine. A place of Undead sacrifice to Gwyn's Age of Fire." A stone shrine close to being ruins and covered in vegetation appeared.**

"'Undead sacrifice'?" Oobleck questioned, intrigued by the history of this world but also horrified by a good deal of it so far.

"Oh yeah. In this universe, people and even animals can be afflicted with the curse of Undeath. No matter your intentions or standing in society, people can die over and over again, but they will return at bonfires. Gradually losing their sanity unless they find some purpose to latch onto. Thus, they are Undead." Alaric explained.

"What happens when... y'know. They..." Velvet tried to ask, but found it difficult to find words for such an unnerving question.

Alaric, understanding what Velvet was trying to say, thumbed his masked chin for a moment before finally providing an answer. "You ever heard of zombies? Yeah, they essentially become zombies."

Okay, a universe where people could turn into what was essentially a zombie? That was a terrifying thought. Secretly, Alaric wondered whether or not he should show them a universe where humanity, and even the faunus in some of them, was threatened with extinction because of worldwide zombie outbreaks. There were plenty of those out there.

 **"So, no human city was permitted to flourish without a clear to the Age of Fire. And, there was no better example of this than another human city called, Oolacile, which was a golden land of light sorceries." Contrary to his words, the city that appeared on screen was hardly golden, a small bonfire was the only source of light, and it appeared time had begun to take its toll on the city.**

 **"Light, it turns out, can be manipulated to foster illusions. It can hide your intentions. It can even mess with the fabric of time." An armoured knight waved a staff in the air and a pulse of goldish-white light burst from the top of the staff. A man in robes wove a white tree branch, and he instantly transformed into a oddly shaped rock. And a blinding white light grew from the now awake Filianore and the remains of her egg.**

The sight of more magic was fascinating to the audience, and to a couple, a different kind of magic was intriguing.

The idea of light being used to create illusions was a rather interesting idea. All living things who lived under the Sun, mistrusted the dark, for the dark could hide all manner of secrets inside it. But light. Light could blind. Blind people to what was the truth.

At the mention of how light could also _'mess with the fabric of time,'_ made everyone pause. It could do what?

"Yeah. Time's rather complicated in this universe. Don't even ask me to explain it." Alaric said to his guests before anyone could have asked the question that was now obviously burning inside them. Taking his word for it, the audience continued watching.

 **"And spells of this nature would be of great value to the gods in the coming years. So, Oolacile flourished. An exemplary city for Gwyn's Pantheon, because it was proof that humanity could be taught to serve their interests." A statue of a lordly figure standing above a naked cadaverous human was now shown.**

Some in the audience frowned at the sight of the statue. Before the Faunus Rights Revolution, there had been a highly controversial statue sculpted in the image of a human standing upright while a faunus was kneeling on the ground on its hands and feet. It was thankfully taken down after the Revolution, but images of it and even attempted replicas of the statue had been used by radical Faunus rights groups, and discriminatory human supremist organizations as a symbol of their causes.

Be it a symbol of the wrongs perpetrated by the other, or a symbol of the status the other should have in society.

Either way, bringing up the statue could easily turn a quiet dinner into a wrestling match if you didn't choose your words carefully.

 **"And so it was, that a group of missionaries from Oolacile embarked upon the Ringed City. Perhaps to preach and reinforce the power of the Light in this dark city." A man dressed in white was now the focus of the camera. He wielded a strange bow and a katana.** **"One of these individuals was a man called Half-Light. "**

 _'That's a stupid name.'_ The audience unknowingly thought in unison.

 **"And he was a talented individual who was wielding the powerful artifacts of his homeland. He would go on to earn the favour of Filianore, and, he would even earn the legendary dragon weapon of Midir. So it was no surprise that Half-Light elected to stay behind, becoming the last recorded Spear of the Church."**

 **"And, just as Half-Light visited the Ringed City, and even stayed behind. The reverse was also true of a certain pygmy from the Ringed City. This Pygmy's name was Manus, and while we know nothing about the nature of his visit to Oolacile, we do know one thing. He died there. And the body of Primeval Man, of Manus, was put to rest far far beneath the city itself, out of the light and out of mind." The camera focused on a cavity in the stone ground of a darkened cavernous place that was shaped like that of a man.**

"I'm guessing that things didn't turn out well for the city of Oolacile in the future. Right?" Qrow supposed. It just sounded like a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

"Big time." The Keeper replied.

 **"We don't know much about Manus, and a lot is left to the imagination. What we do know is that he was a Pygmy far from home. He was part of a race that Gwyn was doing everything in his power to suppress. And when you think of Manus' fate, it's kind of hard to imagine that Gwyn didn't have a hand in it. Especially since Gwyn had an order of assassins, the Lord's Blades, in his employee." One of the knights from the beginning, Ciaran, was now in the centre of the screen. Her dual blades in hand.**

 **"The leader of the Lord's Blades was Ciaran, the Hornet. It stated that she laid waste to Gwyn's enemies, and of course, there's no proof that the Lord's Blades actually killed Manus. But, you could also argue that that's rather the point of assassins, isn't it?"**

"Guy's got a good point." Mercury spoke up, receiving glancing looks from Emerald and Cinder.

 **"Whatever the case. Mankind was struggling against the world order, and even New Londo, which was once a haven for the Undead, was turned into a hideous spawning ground for the abyss and its Darkwraiths." A monstrous writhing creature of pulsating flesh and a better view of the hooded knight was shown. The armour of the 'Darkwraith' greatly resembled the Dark Knight, though under their hood was a skull mask.**

Looking at the 'Darkwraith,' an odd train of thought entered the minds of a few in the audience took form. The thought was that if ever there was a human-like Grimm, or a human that turned to a Grimm, than the Darkwraith was what the resulting creature would look like.

 **"At the heart of this uprising was a serpent named, Kaathe. Who swayed the Four Kings, and taught its Undead Knights how to pillage back their humanity." A black-skinned serpent with a lipless mouth showing large teeth, hiding in darkness. And a Darkwratih was shown falling upon an unfortunate victim.** **"Some descriptions say that Darkwraiths became the most human of all, but to others..."**

 **A wizen voice of an elderly man began to speak.** **"The Darkwraiths are the enemies of man, and any living thing that has a soul."**

"That is one of the creepiest things I have ever laid eyes upon." Taiyang commented in regards to Kaathe's appearance. Everyone was creeped out by the serpent's appearance, I mean, if the dangly things weren't freaky enough, those teeth were just horrifying to look at.

"What's he doing to that guy?" Jaune questioned as he watched the Darkwraith seemingly embrace their victim.

"Draining his life essence." Alaric explained. If there was one thing he hadn't accounted for when he started this whole thing was how tiring it was to explain almost everything to his guests.

 **"So, as the Age of Man crept ever closer. Yet another Knight of Gwyn appeared, perfectly equipped to face it." The silver and blue knight was now seen, looking down upon the dark city of New Londo. His greatshield in hand and sword on his shoulder.**

 **"The great knight Artorias. With a great sword weighted to strike harder against servants of the dark. A greatwolf that symbolized their fighting style. The covenant with the beasts of the Abyss. Knight Artorias and Sif defiantly faced the worst of Mankind."**

 **Knight Artorias was then shown battling against the Darkwraiths. Alongside him, a large wolf with a sword in its mouth fought beside him.**

"Hehe, look Zwei!" Taiyang said to the corgi, pointing at the great grey wolf on screen. "That wolf's almost as good as you in a fight."

"Wha-? You let your dog get into fights?" Weiss questioned the blonde-haired single-father, and, by extension, Ruby and Yang.

"Oh yeah, you should've seen him take down that Deathstalker that attacked our home back at Patch. Man, was that a really interesting Wednesday afternoon." Ruby said in response to Weiss' disbelief.

The heiress looked towards Zwei. The little corgi had beaten Roman and Neo in their card game somehow, and was now resting in Penny's arms. It was now the robot-girl's turn to pet the little dog. Zwei looked back at Weiss. Weiss shrugged and continued watching.

Blake on the other hand had latched onto Yang, her feline instincts telling her to be wary of the wolf on screen and now Zwei even more so than before after learning he had faced down a bloody Deathstalker and survived. Yang took a selfie with her scroll, and planned to tease the cat faunus with the photo she'd take later.

 **"Yet, in the end, the terror that was the Darkwraiths could only be stifled with the sacrifice of their entire city. Such was the power of their Four Kings, and the resilience of their Abyss."**

 **"Luckily for Gwyn, such a safety measure had been put in place years ago. And so, the sealers of New Londo watched stoically as water rushed into the city, and thousands of innocents died by their hand." A figure in red robes was shown pushing a lever, a set of floodgates opening, and water flooded into the city.**

 **The elderly voice from before spoke again. "The entire city was sacrificed to contain them. For that was how great a threat they were."**

The situation of New Londo reminded the audience of Mt Glenn. The lives of the last thousand remaining residents of Mt Glenn sacrificed to ensure the safety of the millions of Vale.

 **"But, while Gwyn did manage to put the New Londo threat on hold. No one was prepared for the outbreak in Oolacile.** **I imagine when they figured out a primeval human was buried beneath their very city, the temptation must have been too great to resist." The screen was pitch black, then, nine glowing red eyes stared out from the abyss.**

"Knew it." Qrow sighed. Everyone ignored the words of the veteran huntsman, too focused on the eyes that glared from the dark abyss.

That old saying of how the abyss stared back at you if you stared too long at it felt like it rang true on this occasion. The eyes of whatever was in there reminded them of the Grimm, the gaze feeling or even rivaling that of said creatures. But, they felt something else in those eyes. Something human.

Human emotions. But the horror that accompanied the eyes' gaze eclipsed any attempts by the audience to understand what they were.

"Is that...?" Glynda began, a inclining as to who those eyes belonged to forming in her mind. "...Manus?"

Alaric nodded his head once in answer.

 **The scene changed again. Now, a knightly figure stood before a man in a long coat leaning against a wall. The man in the coat spoke, saying. "Believe it or not. Oolacile has brought the Abyss upon itself, fooled by that toothy serpent. They upturned the grave of primeval man, and incited his honourary wrath. What could they have been thinking?"**

 **The creature within the abyss was then revealed in all its dark and horrifying glory. It's body followed the basic structure that made it somewhat resemble a human's, arms, legs, a torso, and a head. But that was all the creature and the audience could say they had in common with this creature. It's left hand was enlarged and billowing with a an ever shifting dark-blue energy. It's antlered head was grotesque and from his shoulders and back were a set of twisting protrusions. On the two protrusions sprouting from its shoulders, its nine red eyes stared out. And in its hand was what might be a staff.**

The audience freaked out when they saw Manus. Though, they could hardly believe that it could have been anyway resembled a man before whatever had happened to turn his body into _that_. They'd seen or heard of numerous and increasingly terrifying forms of Grimm, but Manus' appearance caught them all off guard, for he was several levels of horrifying beyond any Grimm that they knew existed.

 **"Like the Mad Pygmy King before him, Manus rejected death, and he was as far from peace could be. The raw emotion of humanity that we mentioned earlier, billowed outwards, corrupting the townsfolk of Oolacile, and Manus became the father of an unstoppable, dark abyss." Those black and white spirits rushed towards the screen. Then, a grotesque creature, with long arms, pale skin, and a horrifically mutated head.**

The audience were sickened by the grotesquely mutated creature. From the narrator's words, that must have been a human. They too began to feel fearful of the Dark of the this universe. And this universe itself, the audience acknowledged to be the worst they had ever seen.

 **"Curiously though, it was almost as if he was searching for something. Using his power to reach across time and space, until he found it. Instead, he found Dusk, Princess of Oolacile." A young woman with a white dress and wearing a circlet in her here approached a strange black and purple vortex in the air. Suddenly, as she neared it, Manus' gigantic left hand grabbed her and pulled her into the vortex.**

 **A young woman began to speak, the audience inferring that it was Dusk. "I still think on that creature from the abyss that preyed upon me. My faculties were far from lucid. But, I quite clearly sensed certain emotions. A wrenching nostalgia. A lost joy. An object of obsession, and a sincere hope to reclaim it. Could these thoughts belong to the beast from the abyss? But if that were true, then perhaps it is no beast after all?"**

So that was what the emotions the audience had sensed in Manus' gaze was. But what were they directed at? Not Dusk, if what the narrator had said was true.

Speaking of Dusk, the R, B, and Y of Team RWBY looked at Dusk, before proceeding to look at Weiss. Weiss noticed this, guessed at what they were thinking, and said. "Don't compare me to her. I'm not a princess, and I would definitely not have allowed myself to get captured by such a creature."

"Come on, Weiss-Queen. Don't be so mean." Yang said, slipping in a pun that made the entire audience groaning in annoyance. "Me, Ruby, and Blake were just thinking about how you could totally be Dusk, if we were in this universe."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at her friends and spoke once more. "But why am I the princess?"

In response, Jaune and Neptune leaned forward and unintentionally said in chorus. "Because you're both angels."

The others in the audience either shook their heads or facepalmed at the two boys. Weiss looked blankly at Jaune and Neptune, not interested at all with the former, and rather peeved by how the latter had been checking out the other girls in the audience. Jaune and Neptune smiled and rubbed the back of their necks awkwardly before being pulled away by Pyrrha and Sun, respectively.

 **"The object of his obsession was a pendant, and with it in one's possession. They're pulled back. Back to a time where all appears lost."**

"Wait, time travel?" The audience had heard and could hardly believe the previous mention of how the fabric of time could be messed around with by light. But now a pendant could be used to travel through time?

"Oh yeah. Time travel!" Nora cheered. Remaining a cheery spark of light in an increasingly gloomy room.

"I'm guessing you won't go into detail about how time travel is possible in this universe?" Cinder questioned Alaric, already knowing the answer the Keeper was going to give.

Alaric shrugged at Cinder and examined his gloved hands.

 **The knight from before, not Artorias, but the one who had conversed with the man in the long coat stood before a large mushroom with... eyes?**

 **"Well look at this one. From what faraway Age has thou come? Thy scent is very human indeed, but not intolerable." The mushroom said to the knight, confusing the audience even further than how they had just been. "I am Elizabeth, guardian of this sanctuary. Thou shalt see further on, an abyss was begat of the ancient beast, and threatens to swallow the whole of Oolacile."**

"Don't tell me that's a talking mushroom." Winter sighed, finding it very hard to believe what was in front of her, but incapable of disproving its existence.

"That's a talking mushroom." Qrow instantly said. Winter instantly throwing the teacup she held in her hands at Qrow's head as soon as he said those words.

Qrow tilted his head the side, avoiding getting struck by the porcelain cup, though the same could be said for Mercury who was conked on the head by it. His Aura protecting him from suffering any injuries from it, however, that didn't stop the still hot tea from scalding him.

 **"The city was lost. The abyss was spreading. And Mankind has succumbed to the worst parts of their nature." Another of the Bloatheads was shown, rearing its head back and laughing maniacally.**

 **"When Gwyn heard of Manus and his Abyss, Artorias must have been the first sent to deal with the threat. He was, after all, the best equipped. But, fighting Darkwraiths is considerably different to the power of Primeval Man. So Artorias was bested, and was forced to retreat."**

 **Artorias and Sif were now fighting Manus. The silver and blue knight landed a strike, but Manus leapt into the air and crushed Artorias beneath his massive hand.**

"And he's fighting without Aura? Props to that guy for tanking that." Coco said, admiring how Artorias survived such a crushing attack, and, of course, his choice of attire.

 **"Beset, by the Abyss. The final act of Artorias was to protect his companion. He shielded Sif with the divine power of his greatshield, after all, his arm was broken and he could no longer bear the burden." Sif lay in the darkness of the Abyss, sword beside him and protected by a magical barrier set by Artorias.**

 **"Then, Artorias himself was overcome."**

 **The audience now saw the great knight standing in the ruins of Oolacile over the body of a Bloathead. But he was wholly changed. His armour was ruined, his left arm hung limply, and dark energies began to swirl about his feet as he looked towards the audience.**

 **"*Cough* All of you, forgive me. For I have availed you nothing." Artorias' voice held a nobility that the most of the audience had to admire, but yet he sounded so broken and in so much pain.**

 **The dark energies at his feet creeped up into him like a dark flame, consuming him. Artorias head sunk and he twitched uncontrollably before he rose his head and let out a bestial roar.**

"Oh no!" Ruby cried. She was starting to like Artorias. His knightly appearance and the story of how he had gone off to stop the spread of the Abyss with a trusty animal companion reminded the young, red-hooded girl of the stories she had grown up to. Seeing him like this was to her, and a few others, very saddening.

 **Once more, Elizabeth's voice came through the speakers. "Knight Artorias came to stop this. But, such a hero has nary a murmur of Dark. Without doubt, he will be swallowed by the Abyss. Overcome by its utter blackness. Indeed, the Abyss may be unstoppable."**

 **"All was lost. And yet, strangely soon after, the spread of the Abyss was actually halted. And Princess Dusk of Oolacile miraculously wandered out of the Abyss. Artorias' name henceforth passed into legend. The knight who gave his life to disperse the Abyss. To rescue the princess of Oolacile."**

"Wait, what?" Emerald questioned.

The others in the audience were also confused. How could the Abyss have stopped spreading? How was Dusk saved from Manus? Was it Artorias' doing? A couple, namely Ruby, hoped that Artorias was able to overcome the corruption that had taken hold of him and completed his quest.

Others had a more realistic idea of what had happened, and guessed that Artorias had no hand in the suppression of the Abyss. A guess that was proven true with the next words spoken by the narrator.

 **"This is a lie, of course. In reality, it was a nameless hero who rescued the princess, and it was this hero who fulfilled the legacy of Artorias."**

 **The knight that the audience had seen speaking with the man in the long coat and Elizabeth the talking mushroom was then shown, charging fearlessly at Manus with Sif at their side. The knight was struck five times by Manus, but they were able to get back to their feet and continued to battle the Father of the Abyss. The scene would changed to several scenes of the knight and Sif fighting Manus, both landing strikes against the creature with their swords. Dodging here and there to avoid Manus' physical and sorcerous attacks. Finally, the knight was able to deliver a slashing blow to Manus' chest, the Father of the Abyss recoiled and began to fade away, he tried to fight on, but collapsed to the ground before disappearing entirely.**

"Yeah!" Team RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, Sun, Neptune, and Penny cheered. As much as they actually felt sorry for Manus, the destruction he had caused, intentional or not, had needed to be stopped.

"Hm, impressive." Ozpin muttered to himself.

Cinder was not sure what she should make of Manus' defeat by the hands of what appeared to be a normal human knight. She had secretly wanted to see what would happen to the world if Manus' Abyss continued to spread, and was disappointed by how, in what could considered a cliché act in her eyes, a knight in shining armour had slain the great beast. But, appearances could deceive.

If this person was able to defeat Manus, where an apparently even greater warrior had failed, there must be something special to this person. The question was, who was this new knight?

As if in answer, Oscar asked that very same question. "Who is that?"

"They don't have a name. For they themselves have forgotten it." Alaric replied. "Just know them as 'The Chosen Undead.' And no, don't even ask me why they're called 'The Chosen Undead,' we can skip over that."

 **The Chosen Undead was now stood together with Princess Dusk in a forest, the Princess speaking to the knight. "This may strike thine ear as somewhat peculiar. But, long ago, in my homeland of Oolacile, I was best by a creature from the Abyss. I would have perished then, if not for the great knight Artorias.** **In truth, I saw little of what transpired. For mine senses were already fled. But even still, there was something about Artorias. A certain... balance of the humours, that quite perfectly fits your semblance. Heavens, could it be that..."**

 **"With this, Manus' suffering has ended. But, Manus was not the only corruption of the Abyss that was killed in Oolacile. There was also Artorias." The knight charged at Artorias, sword and shield in hand, Artorias leaping into the air and spun, his sword at the hero. "The legend of Artorias is a lie. He did not vanquish the Father of the Abyss. He did not eliminate the Darkwraiths of New Londo. The Abyss is unstoppable, but, eons later, the legend of Artorias would inspire a legion of Abyss Watchers who continue to rage against the dying of the Light."**

 **"Yes, the Abyss is unstoppable, but, they fight nonetheless. Even in this state, notice that Artorias continues to seek out and kill corruptions of humanity." Another scene change, and Artorias was shown leaping at one of the mutated denizens of Oolacile and plunged his sword into the horrific creature. "He's still in there, somewhere. But, his legend can only live on with his death."**

Those in the audience who cared felt a bittersweet sensation well up inside them. They were happy that Artorias was remembered, even if what he was remembered for was not really his doing, and how, in his last madness afflicted moments, he had tried to perform the duty that had been laid out for him. But, they were sad that the actually hero of the story was forced to kill him.

 **Back to the fight between the Knight and Artorias, the Knight blocked a swing from Artorias, and returned the corrupted warrior's attack with one of his own. The blow struck true, and Artorias began to fade away as Manus had. Artorias stood up straight and let out a wail, the Knight being only half his height, before falling onto his knees and stabbing his sword into the stone ground as he faded away.**

Nora leaned forward and said. "Man, you could make a video game about this!"

"Uh, why a video game? I was thinking more of a book, or even a movie." Blake questioned Nora's decision. In her opinion a book would've better fleshed out Artorias and the other people they'd seen in this universe. Why a video game she didn't understand.

 **"Only his fellow knights knew the truth. But they would take his soul, and his secret, to the grave. And while Artorias' soul was corrupted by the worst of humanity. It was the best of humanity that redeemed it." Ciaran was now on the screen, kneeling before a makeshift gravestone, a single white flower resting before it. The Chosen Undead walking away in the background behind her.**

 **"And the hero of Oolacile would disappear without a trace, almost as if they didn't belong. For, in reality, they didn't." The Chosen Undead now knelt before a bonfire made of ashes and a coiled sword, and reached his hand out to it. As they did so, they disappeared as if they hadn't been there.**

"That's one of the bonfires that I mentioned before. The ones from where the Undead return from the dead. They're very useful to the Undead for all manner of reasons, one of which, as demonstrated, is to actually travel between bonfires. Sure beats walking every, right?" Alaric again provided exposition.

"Huh. Neat." Qrow remarked.

Ironwood sent a look at Qrow and said. "That's all you have to say? 'Neat?'"

"What?" Qrow replied. "I mean, it's pretty cool and all. But, it's of not much use to us, right? We're not those Undead-things, and we don't have any of those bonfires."

Ironwood and a few others frowned at Qrow, but he did raise a good point.

 **"And eons later, deep within an enchanted wood. Behind two locked doors, and a troop of forest protectors. An ancient cat speaks the truth."**

 **The cat mentioned was large and didn't resemble any cat the audience had seen before. She looked at the screen and said in an elderly female human voice. "The legend of Artorias art not but a fabrication. Traversing the Dark? Tis but a fairy tale."**

The sight of a large talking cat didn't really faze the audience one bit. They saw much weirder and far more horrifying in this universe, so the cat was comparatively normal all things considered.

Zwei leapt from Penny's arms and bounded towards the screen, and began to bark at the cat.

 **Artorias' grave was then shown, a massive pillar of stone in a large forest glade under a full moon. Around the gravestone, many swords were planted into the ground around it in respect to the hero. One stood out above others, the enlarged Sword of Artorias.**

 **"Alvina is keen to downplay the legend of Artorias because heroes and bandits have begun seeking out his grave. They would desecrate his legacy for the secret of Abyss-walking. And they may do harm to Sif, who in fact, Alvina helped the Chosen Undead rescue back when the world was still young." The Knight walked down a dark tunnel, and there Alvina was, but she disappeared as they approached.**

 **The scene changed again, back to Artorias' grave. The Chosen Undead stood before the grave, then, a shadow fell over them. Looking up, the they and the audience saw Sif, now many times the size he was in Oolacile, stood atop the grave, looking down at the Chosen Undead threateningly.**

"Whoa! What have they been feeding Sif?" Sun yelled at the sight of Sif's enormous size.

"A lot if he grew up into that." Neptune responded.

"I still want to pet him." Nora proclaimed. Once more earning odd looks from the others. Most of them having realized that this was going to be a rather frequent occurrence throughout the duration of their stay here.

Meanwhile, Blake was positively frightened by the sight of the ginormous grey wolf. So frightened in fact, that she had jumped from her seat and hidden herself behind the couch she and her team sat on.

 **"Imagine what Sif is feeling, when he and the Chosen Undead cross paths again, years later. The Chosen Undead is duty-bound to seek the Abyss, and Sif is duty-bound to stop the them."**

 **The great wolf fell on all fours onto the ground and advanced on the Knight.**

"Another Abyss was created?" Cinder asked. Alaric shook his head and said.

"No. They seek to put a stopper on the Abyss of the Four Kings of New Londo. You know, those... odd looking fellows."

Overs were less concerned about the Abyss, and were more focused on the Chosen Undead and Sif.

 **"One of them will have to die.** **Because Sif cannot give the hero the Covenant of Artorias willingly." The Hero took a few steps back but tripped and fell on his back. Sif moved forward, planted one of his immense paws on top of the Hero, and bared its teeth at the Hero.**

"No no no no no!" Ruby repeatedly moaned. They'd fought together, why did they have to fight each other now?

Others in the audience also felt conflicted by the sight before them. For the graduated Huntsmen, this encounter was like being forced to fight a teammate from their days as a student of a Huntsman Academy. For the huntsmen-in-training, it was similar to what the graduated huntsmen felt, though them it was like facing a member of their team.

To Roman and Neo, the two having decided to watch the events onscreen after the proper thrashing they received from Zwei in their game of poker, this was like them fighting each other. Sure the two were criminals, but, they had a genuine respect for each other that would have made the two being forced to fight each other a hard ordeal for them both.

For Mercury and Emerald, they were on the fence about this. They didn't really have any people they were close to. There was each other, but their relationship was complicated.

To Cinder, well, uh. Could she sympathize with this scene onscreen? I'm mean, did she have any actual friends?

For Ozpin. He'd already buried too many friends for this encounter to seriously affect him emotionally. He was saddened, but it did not affect him as it did the others.

 **"Maybe in death he can find his friend Artorias again."**

 **The Great Grey Wolf stopped and looked closely at the Chosen Undead, a look of recognition in the wolf's eyes. Sif let go of them and began to whine. The Chosen Undead also recognized Sif and rose a hand to pet the wolf, but Sif rose its head to the moon and howled sorrowfully.**

 **Sif turned away from the Hero, and as the Chosen Undead got to their feet, Sif pulled the Sword of Artorias free from the ground with its mouth and turned to face them.**

 **The screen slowly faded to black.**


	14. Destiny: A Guardian Rises

**Author's Note:**

 **Before we begin, may we please observe a moment of silence in memory of Stan Lee, founder of Marvel Comics, who sadly died on Monday 12 November 2018.**

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 **Thank you, now let us get on with the fanfiction.**

 **Writing this was a treat for me. Played Destiny from Year One till the end of Year Two. I was a Gunslinger Hunter main, played plenty of Nightstalker too. Had to stop playing because I had to focus on school, and didn't get Destiny 2.**

 **Like Destiny, I also plan to write another chapter about Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, For Honor, Overwatch, and maybe another Dark Souls one, in the future.**

 **The future Destiny one will either be one about a mission from one of the expansion, some shenanigans based on my own experiences.** **Or I can do something about Destiny 2. The next For Honor one will be taken from the Viking campaign. Still debating on the FMAB one, people have requested the Mustang vs Envy scene, so that could be next, though I do want to introduce some of the other characters and show their replacements from the RWBY cast. For Dark Souls, I plan for another of VaatiVidya's Prepare to Cry videas, this time, either the Ivory King from Dark Souls 2 or maybe something from Dark Souls 3.**

 **For Overwatch, I'm am unsure about, because I'm unsure of what I'm to do for that one next. I'll figure something out.**

 **Oh, and I've changed how I do the list of universes that I will add to the bottom of every fifth chapter. The list of requested ideas will no longer be _all_ the universes that I have received as requests, it will now only have the universes thst I will likely do. I write down all the ideas I receive, but, I won't do all of them.**

 **I have seen the Lost Fable episode and, hoo boy, that was quite something. Though, we'll need a few more answers from Jinn as too why some things are the way there are. Fun fact, Jinn is voiced by the same voice actress as Riza Hawkeye from both Fullmetal Alchemist animes.**

 **That's all I have to say for now, enjoy this chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse.**

* * *

 **Destiny: A Guardian Rises**

As the TV screen faded to black, Alaric took out his remote and began to prepare the last universe he had in mind to show his guests before he let them have a small break, and bring in a few more people to join the audience. Speaking of the audience, that ending really got to them. Especially a certain family who happened to own a dog.

Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang were hugging Zwei tightly in their arms. The little corgi possessing a slightly confused look on his face as to why they were doing this, but accepted their hug. Hugs were hugs after all.

"Alright everyone, one more, than we have a break. I think you all need one soon." Alaric announced, receiving sounds of acknowledgement.

 **The screen came to life once more, and on it was the sight of a small spacecraft coursing through space.**

"More space stuff, huh? Neat." Jaune said.

Some in the audience, such as Ironwood, took notes on the design of the spacecraft. Ever since seeing that one universe where Pyrrha went to space in a yellow rocketship, the audience felt a growing interest in anything related to space because of the immense possibilities of what could be out there. Taking notes of other universes' interacts with space might be helpful in better understanding their own universe.

 **The craft passed by the camera, the camera turning to reveal that the craft was descending towards the surface of a planet comprised almost entirely of lifeless desert. Though, two polar ice caps could be seen on its north and south.**

Sun leaned forward and squinted a the TV and asked. "Is that a new planet?"

"Yup, Mars. The humans of this universe have been eying it up as the next target for their expeditions into space for years. Though, now they have a really good reason to go there." Alaric explained.

"What's that?" Velvet asked. The Keeper gave no answer.

"We're just going to have to wait and see, aren't we?" Emerald sighed.

"Wait, you mentioned that Mars was the next target for this universe's humanity. They've been to other planets?" Oobleck questioned, fascinated by what he was watching. Obviously for the historical significance of this what was going on, and what lessons the audience could learn from this world.

Alaric shook his head and replied. "Well, not planets, but they've been to their Moon. And trust me, that was no small feat, even for them."

 **The craft entered Mars' atmosphere, heat beginning to build up at its bottom and leaving behind at trail as it plummeted closer and closer to Mars' surface. As the heat began to die down and the craft entered the lower atmosphere, the craft's heatshield broke off and its rockets were turned on so to slow the craft's descent.**

 **The craft slowed and landing gears were deployed as it came a few meters away from touching the rocky ground. The screen turning to black.**

 **The scene changed to a view from inside the craft, showing three people dressed in white, protective space suits with orange helmet visors, and rifles attached to their backpacks, leaving the craft. More scenes were shown of them exiting their vehicle, even focusing on the footprint left behind by the first step taken on the red planet.**

"To set foot on another planet. I can only imagine what they must be feeling." Ironwood muttered to himself quietly. There had been recent talks of relaunching Atlas' own attempts at space exploration, however, the rather poor history of previous attempts saw those talks remained just that. Talk.

But space could open new opportunities, and, some said, a means to escape the Grimm.

"It must be quite the historic event for the humans of this world." Ozpin added, having heard Ironwood's words.

 **The astronauts examined their and each other's gear. Seeing that they were prepared, they began to walk on the surface of Mars. Several scenes of their journey across the red planet's water starved surface played out on the TV screen. From wide flatlands, up rising hills, to scaling a mountain.**

"What happened to this planet? It's even worse than the most barren places of Vacuo." Taiyang questioned, having been to a few of those places himself.

"Well, the planet Mars isn't exactly suitable for life as you know it to exist. Since it lacks a magnetic field to protect it from the Sun, and having a barely existent atmosphere means no rain or any other life giving properties." Alaric explained once again. Some of what he said going over the heads of those in the audience, those that did nodded their heads. Either way, all of the audience were glad that they weren't living on Mars.

However, there was something that didn't escape the notice of the audience, and puzzled them.

"Wait, if that's so. Why are there clouds? I mean, clouds are condensed water, right? So, why am I starting to see a lot of them in the sky?" Neptune pointed out. The blue-haired young man was correct, there were clouds, and they all appeared to be coming from one source.

"Well, you're about to see why." Alaric replied.

 **The three explorers reached the top of the mountain they had been climbing, and what they, and the audience saw, astonished them.**

 **For hovering above Mars' barren surface, in the middle of ever increasing numbers of rainclouds, was an enormous white sphere. Lightning could be seen amongst the clouds, and the distinct sound of rain falling in torrents could be heard. Majestic music in the background.**

"I know we've been saying this a lot, but. What is that?" Coco questioned, pointing at the white sphere.

The Keeper kicked up his feet and rested his hands on the back of his head and replied. "Keep watching, you'll see in a moment."

"It looks like a giant golf ball." Roman spoke up. Everyone snapping their heads at him. "What? It does!"

 **The screen cut to black, and a voice spoke.** **"We called it The Traveler, and its arrival changed us forever."**

"Hey Oz! It's you again." Taiyang nudged Ozpin with his shoulder. "Doesn't sound like you're a kooky old man this time."

 **An illustration of the white sphere was show above Mars. The sphere was then shown leaving Mars, another cut, and two more planets were shown.**

 **"Great cities were built on Mars and Venus. Mercury became a garden world. Human lifespan tripled. It was a time of miracles. We stared out at the galaxy and knew it was out destiny to walk in the light of other stars."**

"For your information. Venus was the hottest planet in that solar system, and covered in clouds of sulfuric acid. And Mercury, the closest planet to their Sun, has almost no atmosphere, and the side facing the Sun is so hot you'll melt while the night-side of Mercury is so cold you'll freeze to death." Alaric said. "Now, take account that the Traveler terraformed those planets to become able to sustain life. Crazy huh?"

The audience were amazed by what they heard.

A giant golf ball turning inhospitable planets to worlds that human would not just survive on, but prosper and thrive. Questions began to formulate inside the heads of the audience.

Why was the Traveler doing all this? Where did it come from? What exactly was the Traveler?

 **The screen was now on a green and blue planet. Small white dots with white trails spread out from the planet and reach out towards other planets. Panning out, a view of the Solar System was shown, malevolent dark shapes encroaching on it from all sides.**

"That isn't good." Yang muttered as they lay eyes on the dark shapes.

 **"But the Traveler had an enemy: a Darkness, which had hunted it for eons across the black gulfs of space. Centuries after our Golden Age began, this Darkness found us, and that was the end of everything."**

 **The screen had turned to black once more, but Ozpin did not stop there.**

 **"But it was also a beginning."**

"Another light vs dark story?" Ruby asked. Reminded of the premise of the last universe the audience had watched.

"Yes. Light and Dark are both are tangible forces, but also, there is also a certain philosophy to each. The Light in this universe promotes a cooperative existence between intelligent beings to create a world of harmonious coexistence. The Darkness desires a universe that has been reduced to its most basic, simplest, perfect shape. One where only those who have the strength to conquer all opposition may exist. Intriguing concepts don't you think?" Alaric spoke.

Indeed it was. For most, the philosophy of the Light sounded like a great idea, and something that they should emulate in Remnant. Ozpin found the philosophy of the Light reminding him of the duty entrusted to him by the God of Light.

Cinder found the Darkness to be more appealing.

 **The audience now saw the surface of a planet, the Sun beginning to set in the horizon. There were a few trees scattered here and there, patches of snow resting on the ground. The sight of a road came to view, dozens of long abandoned cars rusting away on the road.**

 **Moving amongst the remains of the cars, was a white machine that was so small it could fit in the palm of a person's hand. It floated by no visible means from one car to another, as if it were looking for something.**

"Oooh. What is that and why do I have an urge to want one?" Nora asked as she stared fixatedly on the little machine.

"That's a Ghost. One of a countless number of small, sentient entities of machine and Light, made by the Traveler after its battle with the Darkness." The Keeper continued to explain.

Yatsuhashi raised his brow in intrigue and posed his own question. "May I ask what the purpose of the Ghost is?"

"To find warriors worthy and capable of wielding the Traveler's Light, sot they can protect what's left of Humanity, and to fight against the Darkness."

"So, why is this one all the way out there among rusting cars and bones?" Oscar queried.

Alaric waved his hand, refilling the drinks of the audience, and replied. "Patience. Patience."

 _'He's worse than Ozpin.'_ Glynda, Ironwood, Ooblek, Port, Qrow, and Taiyang internally moaned in annoyance. Prompting Alaric to chuckle to himself.

 **As it looked around, two shapes appeared some distance away.**

 **The Ghost looked into one car and saw the skeletal remains of a person. A hole in their skull. From the Ghost's eye, a blue light scanned the skeleton.**

 **"Ouch!" The Ghost said to itself in a feminine voice as it moved on.**

"Hey. That voice sounded familiar." Ruby said, trying to think of who it might be.

"Yes it does friend Ruby." Penny, the secret robot girl, agreed with her friend. Internally trying to find a correlation between the voice of the Ghost and all those she had heard before.

 **The scene changed to a view from a scope. The scope zoomed on the machine, before the scene changed to show who it was that was looking down the scope.**

 **Onscreen was a tall, four armed creature with four glowing blue eyes, wearing whitish armour with red accents and a red cloak. In its hands was a weapon that might be a sniper rifle. Behind it were two others, both were smaller in height and bulk, one however wore armour and held a strange rifle-like weapon in two of its four arms, while the other wore no armour, had two arms, and carried only a pistol and a small dagger.**

 **The audience were not really shocked by their appearance, having seen a lot more weirder things in the previous universes they had watched.**

 **The larger of the three looked to its underlings, and growled something in an unintelligible language, before letting out a loud roar and led the two forward towards the little machine.**

"Aliens?" Velvet said before taking a sip of her glass of iced mocha.

"Yeah, and there's a plenty of others in this universe. This bunch of aliens are called 'Fallen.' The big guy is a Captain, the shorter one in armour is a Vandal, and that scraggly one with two arms is a Dreg."

Over by the other side of the audience, Mercury leaned over to whisper into Emerald's ear.

"Hey Emerald, that Vandal's me, and you're the Dreg."

Emerald rolled her eyes and whispered back to him. "As if."

 **The Ghost was scanning something on the ground when it spoke again. "Is it possible?"**

 **The Ghost separate into several pieces, though, still held together by a transparent orb of blue light.**

 **"There you are." It said again, as it came back together and let out a burst of light.**

"What did it do?" Qrow wondered aloud.

 **"Guardian. Guardian? Eyes up Guardian!" The machine spoke. From where the machine had scanned, a person, male judging by their figure, wearing light body armour coloured in a mix of brown, green, and white. A small white scarf around his shoulders, and over his head was a mask that resembled a gas mask. Sheathed at their right hip was a knife The figure looked down at their hands.**

 **"It worked. You're alive! You don't know how long I've been looking for you. I'm a Ghost. Actually, now I'm your Ghost. And you... well, you've been dead a long time. So you're going to see a lot of things you won't understand."**

"Huh, another universe where people can be revived from the dead. How many of these are there?" Name asked Alaric, the Keeper shrugging in response.

"Wait, that voice. I think it's you Penny!" Ruby squealed, happy to see her friend again.

"Really, friend Ruby? Give me a moment to process your assumption." Penny replied, turning still with a blank look on her face for a couple seconds. She finished thinking on it, smiled, and said. "Yes indeed, friend Ruby. I think that the little Ghost is me."

Blake was also thinking on this, and started to see a pattern forming with Penny. This was the third time that Penny was depicted as a machine throughout the multiverse. Was there something about Penny that made her be a machine? Blake wasn't the only one, and some of the more observant of the audience started to see the same thing as the cat faunus. They decided to keep an eye on Penny, for surely she was more than meets the eye.

Over by Nora, an interesting thought came to her mind. Deciding to act upon, she leapt to her feet and proclaimed it to all the audience. "What should we call the Penny in this universe? I nominate Pennydroid!"

"Nora, I think just Penny would be-" Ren began, but was interrupted by his dearest friend.

"Perfect! Pennydroid it is then!" Nora declared before falling back onto her seat. She also began to think on what she would call her Ghost if she had one. Everyone shrugged and continued watching.

 **The alien's roar echoed from the distance. Ghost, or Pennydroid, looked towards the sound and hurriedly turned back to face the Guardian.** **"This is Fallen territory. We aren't safe here. I have to get you to The City. Hold Still."**

 **Pennydroid suddenly disappeared, the person looked around in search of them. However, Ghost's voice spoke up from seemingly nowhere.** **"Don't worry, I'm still with you. We need to move. Fast."**

"Uh, where'd Penny, I mean, Pennydroid go?" Pyrrha asked. Alaric providing the answer immediately after the Invincible Girl finished speaking. "In the Guardian's head, don't worry. Keep watching."

 **"We won't survive long out in the open like this. Let's get inside The Wall." Pennydroid instructed the Guardian. Seeing no other option, Guardian did as he was told and began to run towards the giant, dilapidated wall nearby. The inhuman calls of the aliens, the Fallen, could be heard getting closer.**

 **The Guardian ran past the long line of rusted cars and reached the wall. Finding an open door to the wall's interior, they entered it and climbed up a flight up stairs behind the door.**

 **"Okay, I need to find a weapon before the Fallen find us."**

"What's the deal with these Fallen anyway? They got some sort of grudge against Humanity?" Yang questioned.

Alaric stepping to answer more questions. "They're an alien race that was also uplifted by the Traveler. Though, the Traveler left them, and shortly thereafter, their civilization collapsed due to a terrible catastrophe. These Fallen are the remains of that civilization, and their name is very appropriate."

"How so?" Ozpin said, this world really reminding him of Remnant. Wondering, like everyone else, what the terrible catastrophe was.

"They were once a noble, proud people that lived in peace with one another. After the catastrophe that ruined them, they fell into conflict with each other, and survive only as scavengers and pirates. Seeing the Traveler aiding humanity didn't really settle well with them, so, they started a centuries-long war against what is left of the Human race. This ruined the race even further. Thus, they are known as Fallen."

 **The Guardian reached the top of the stairs and entered a room with translucent windows to the right, a lone walkway before them. It was so dark, but, Ghost appeared above the Guardian's shoulder and acted as a flashlight for the Guardian by projecting light from their eye like one.** **As they walked through the room, Ghost whispered to the Guardian.** **"Quiet. They're right above us."**

 **Approaching another flight of stairs, they saw one of the Fallen climbing up from within the wall.**

"That was close." Jaune sighed.

"You sure they weren't detected?" Roman spoke up. "That thing could have heard them, and that light isn't really helpful if they really don't want to get caught."

 **Up past the stairs, the Guardian and Ghost found themselves in a large, enclosed space in complete darkness. Ghost floated ahead of the Guardian, who found some railings and put a hand on it.**

 **"Hang tight. Fallen thrive in the dark. We won't. We need more light. I'll see what I can do." Ghost floated ahead, looking for a way to turn on the lights. As they moved, the audience were able to catch a glimpse of a Fallen moving on a large support pillar that Ghost passed by.** **"Another one of these hardened military systems and a few centuries of entropy working against me."**

"Uh, did anyone else see that?" Weiss said to the rest of the audience.

"See what? That there's one of those alien things in there with them?" Mercury replied.

"Yeah."

"Nope. Didn't see a thing." Mercury continued, receiving an elbow to the gut from Emerald. Weiss decided that she didn't really like Mercury that much, though, she was satisfied by how Emerald punished him.

Cinder groaned in disappointment at the antics of her minions.

 **The Guardian had noticed too, they took a step back and looked around cautiously. Pennydroid disappeared somewhere, leaving the Guardian in utter darkness. Then, the lights began to come to life shortly after. Revealing the interior of the wall to be largely hollow, a wide chasm between both sides of the wall, and Fallen everywhere!**

 **Pennydroid reappeared, shooting towards the Guardian as it was pursued by a pair of red coloured drones. The little robot calling out to the Guardian urgently. "They're coming for us!"**

"Great job, little light." Qrow grunted.

 **A gate opened nearby, the Guardian hurried towards it. The Ghost moved there as well and something on the other side, prompting it to hastily call out to the Guardian. "Here! I found a rifle! Grab it!"**

 **The Guardian moved fast, though the gate was too slow to open, so, thinking fast, the Guardian slid underneath it and found the rifle that Pennydroid had spoken of lying against a crate. It was battered, and appeared to not have been used for a long time. The glass of the scope of cracked and chipped. But, it would do.**

 **The Guardian turned back where they came and aimed at the fully open gate. However, the two red drones had thankfully not followed them inside. That meant they would be waiting further ahead. Wonderful.**

 **"I hope you know how to use that thing." Pennydroid said to the Guardian. The resurrected person took out the rifle's magazine and looked at how many bullets remained inside. A full magazine, good, but where would they find more ammunition when they ran out? As they thought of this problem, Ghost provided a solution. "If you're worried about ammo, don't. I can synthetically generate it for you, provided if I can find the right materials to do so."**

 **The Guardian silently nodded to the Ghost and began to proceed through the dimly-lit corridors of the wall.**

"Really? Now I really want a ghost." Coco said to herself. Considering the sheer amount of ammunition that her weapon tended to use and how quickly it could be depleted, having a little companion that could produce ammo for you was really appealing.

Others also saw the practical benefits of the ability to create more ammunition on the spot. It could mean more time on the field because of a reduced need to retreat due to ammunition running low.

 **Turning at the first corner, the Guardian heard the sound of metal falling on the ground, and saw the shadow of a Fallen on the wall as it retreated around the next corner.**

 **"What was that? Be careful, and keep an eye on your tracker."**

"Is this guy gonna, you know, talk? I mean, I would have said something by now if I was in their position." Sun spoke his mind. The others too were wondering why the Guardian wasn't speaking.

"About that. This Guardian's one of those strong, silent types. And believe me, the Multiverse has plenty of those out there." Alaric said, looking towards Neo. The others in the audience following his gaze. The short, silent, and very lethal criminal noticed that they were all looking at her. She returned their looks and innocently smiled and waved at them all.

Almost everyone felt a jolt of fear of up their spines as she did so. Yang frowned at Neo. She really didn't like that little ice-cream themed girl. Roman on the other hand patted his henchwoman on the back and smiled back at her.

Seeking to change the subject, Fox spoke up. "Is the Guardian one of us?"

"Huh, nah. Though plenty of you are in this universe. Some of you are even Guardians. Some of you are regular people. Some of you are something else altogther" Alaric began to list off, some of them.

"Ruby, you're not a Guardian, but you're a Gunsmith." Ruby, of course, was delighted by what Alaric said.

"Nora, you're a Guardian. And Ren's your Ghost. I think you call him 'Renbot.'" Nora was, well, Nora about it. Ren, he was happy with being Nora's Ghost, it meant he would be with his best friend and be able to keep an eye on her.

"Qrow you're a Guardian. And you still like to drink, though, not as heavily." Qrow needed a moment to process that piece of information and shrugged, taking a drink from his glass immediately afterwards.

"Cinder..." Alaric paused. His eyes narrowed as he looked at her, attempting to remember something. "...I don't recall what you were. Either way, you're all something in this universe."

 **Slowly, the Guardian walked down the corridor and turned at the next corner. All seemed safe, until two Fallen emerged, one from inside the left-side of the wall, and another dropping from the ceiling.**

 **Reacting quickly, the Guardian pulled the trigger of the newly acquired weapon, and shot four bullets at the smaller one. The one bullet missed and struck the wall, while the other three found their mark and buried into its torso. The alien fell to the floor, dead.**

 **The other however, was able to fire a burst form its own rifle, and from the Fallen's muzzle, three bright blue projectiles shot forward. The projectiles were actually kind of slow, and the Guardian moved away from where they estimated them to go and shot the Fallen twice, both bullets striking the Fallen's head. One bullet glanced off the Fallen's helmet, but the other was able to penetrate right through it, and reached the alien's skull. In an odd display, the moment the bullet entered the Fallen's cranium, the alien's head exploded and a white, gas-like something flew out of its stump.**

Everyone looked at Alaric for an answer. Seeing this, the Keeper shrugged his shoulders, having no explanation as to why the Fallen's heads exploded.

 **Unexpectedly, the projectiles fired from the Fallen's rifle tracked the Guardian's movements. Running forward to avoid them, the Guardian was able to bypass two, but a third struck their left shoulder. The Guardian let out a pained grunt, though, they didn't seemed to be slowed at all by it.**

 **"Don't worry about any injuries. I can patch you up as we go. Just keep moving!" Pennydroid spoke again.**

"Man, this little guy's proving himself to be more and more useful by the minute." Yang stated.

 **Walking further into the wall, the Guardian was about to enter a more open space. But, as they took another step forward, a Dreg dropped from above, brandishing a knife and pistol. Almost instinctively, the Guardian reached for their knife, brought it out from their sheathe, and stabbed the blade into the Dreg's chest, killing it.**

 **More Fallen dropped from the roof, four in total. One Vandal, and three Dregs.** **But they were dispatched of quickly.**

 **Depositing one round from his rifle into the skull of a Dreg that was not quick enough to jump into cover. One Dreg behind a large crate and prepared some sort of grenade. Acting quickly, the Guardian shot at the Dreg, four shots missed, but one was able to strike the arm the Fallen's was using to hold the grenade. Causing the alien to drop it, the resulting in the grenade to explode in a loud electric discharge that killed the Dreg.**

 **The third Dreg, ignoring the deaths of its comrades, broke cover and recklessly charged the Guardian. Needless to say, that confrontation resulted in the Dreg becoming a slumped body on the floor, with four bullets in its chest.**

 **The Vandal was less reckless and more careful than its underlings, remaining in cover, and quickly peaking from behind its crate to shoot its blue tracking projectiles from its rifle. The Guardian, either confident in themselves or possessed by the same moment of recklessness that possessed the Dreg charged forward. They avoided the projectiles as best they could, sliding across the floor, and, as soon as they were close enough, threw his knife at the Vandal's head. The knife striking true, and embedding itself into the alien's skull.**

"Heh, nice moves!" Sun said in admiration of the Guardian.

 **The Guardian pulled his knife free, and cleaned it on the Vandal's own red cloak. He went onwards through the wall's interior until he came across a bridge that connected both sides of the wall.**

 **"There's more ahead! Keep it up!" Pennydroid cautioned. Once they crossed to the other side, they found what looked like a chest, though it was rather alien in appearance.** **"A loot cache. Let's see what's inside."**

 **Opening it with one hand, the Guardian found a sniper rifle, and handfuls of small, glowing blue cubes.**

 **"Nice! A sniper and some Glimmer. Glimmer is the currency used in the City, I'll stash it and any other useful stuff in your inventory. Let's go see if we can get you some practice with that shotgun while we find a way out of here." Pennydroid said as the Guardian picked up the sniper, and slammed a magazine that the Ghost created into it. The Glimmer disappearing.**

"More weapons!" Ruby squealed. Even more excited about the fact the weapon was a sniper. "Man. I really want a Ghost now. Can you imagine just how cool that would be?"

"Indeed it would. Shame about the memory loss." Alaric off-handedly added. Causing all to snap their attention towards him. "Oh, did I forget to mention that? My apologies. There is a price to everything, and the price Guardians pay is that they remember nothing about their past lives."

That little bit of information caused a few to put a stopper on their desires to be Guardians.

 **Moving forward, the Guardian turned another corner, finding more corridors. But, on the walls were devices that emitted a red laser that cut through the air and reached the opposite wall.**

 **"Trip mines! Don't touch them." Pennydroid warned.**

 **The Guardian nodded and crouched underneath the lasers of the first two trip mines.** **Getting past them, the Guardian was ambushed once again by the Fallen. One dropping from the ceiling, and two from the floor. All of them Dregs.**

 **One of the Dregs emerged from the floor panels right in front of the Guardian, who killed it in a hearbeat with a quick stab of his knife. Another, was also not very smart, and charged the Guardian, accidently setting off one of the trip mines, the following explosion killing the alien.**

"These guys aren't very smart, are they?" Emerald said.

Alaric shook his head and responded. "Oh they are smart, the problem is that they're desperate. And that can lead some of them to do things that range from insanely brave to downright stupid."

 **The third member of the ambush retreated further down the corridor and took cover, but as they peaked out to shoot at the Guardian with its pistol, the Guardian blew its head off with their newly acquired sniper.**

 **Proceeding forward, the four more Dregs attacked the Guardian, as they neared the end of the corridor they were in** **.**

 **The Guardian forsook cover and charged the enemy. Wielding their knife and trusty knife, the Guardian made quick work of the Fallen. Finishing the last of the Dregs with another throw of his knife at the Fallen's head.**

 **Exiting the corridor, the Guardian found themselves inside a large hall, four Vandals and five dregs climbed down from the ceiling or entered from a doorway leading to large vent.**

 **Deciding that charging at their enemy was a poor choice at the moment, the Guardian hid from enemy fire behind a large metal crate. The Fallen growling and chittering in their alien language as they fired at the Guardian's cover.**

 **The Guardian replaced the magazine of their rifle with a new one and peaked from their cover. A Vandal was leading two Dregs on their position, exposing themselves. Taking this opportunity, the Guardian brought up their rifle and unloaded a flurry of bullets at the Fallen, killing one of the Dregs and the Vandal. The others, who had been in hiding, revealed themselves and shot at the Guardian. A couple of the Fallen's shots striking him, and forcing him back into cover.**

 **Examining themselves, the Guardian saw that their armour was holding, but was becoming more and more damaged, and their injuries were thankfully healing themselves.**

 **Looking to their right, the Guardian saw a Vandal had flanked his position and had levelled its rifle at him. Thinking fast, the Guardian broke cover, and ran behind a support pillar, shooting and killing the flanking Vandal as they went.**

 **"We have to get out of here, quickly! The longer we stay, the more Fallen will come down and rain hell on us!" Ghost urged the Guardian. The Guardian silently agreed with their Ghost. The chittering voices and the sound of footsteps moving alerting the Guardian that his enemies were advancing on his position.**

 **Without looking, the Guardian took his rifle and sprayed the area behind the pillar with bullets. It wasn't meant to kill anyone, but it would make them stop or take cover. Emptying their magazine, the Guardian quickly slammed a new one in and burst from their cover behind the pillar. As was expected, none of the Fallen had been killed or injured, but those who had been moving forward towards him had stopped and ducked.**

 **One Vandal and three Dregs had moved forward, all of them dying by the Guardian's bullets.**

 **Breaking into a sprint, the Guardian moved towards a support pillar, where his motion tracker indicated one of the remaining Fallen had taken cover. And it was right, for, having noticed their advance, the last Vandal appeared from behind the pillar and raised its ownrifle at the Guardian. But, the Guardian was quicker, and shot a bullet right into the exposed area of its left eyes, the Fallen's head exploding and Ether spraying into the air.**

 **The last of the Fallen, a Dreg, tackled the Guardian to the ground and the two began to struggle against the other. The Guardian grunted as he held back the Dreg's hands as it attempted to claw at the front of his mask and reached for his throat. They were able to kick the Dreg of them, and readied their knife to finish it off, but, the Dreg was able to scramble for the Guardian's rifle and shot him square in the chest with it. The Guardian fell dead.**

"Oh no!" Penny exclaimed at seeing her alternate version's charge being killed.

A thought came to Blake's head. It was an interesting one, and she decided to voice it. "Hold on. If Ghost could revive the Guardian once, can't they do it again?"

"Hmmm, you raise a very good point Ms Belladonna." Glynda concurred with her student's words.

 **The Dreg cast aside the rifle and began to inspect the Guardian's body for any loot. As it was about to reach for the Guardian's scarf, Pennydroid appeared above the Guardian and, in a flash of light, revived the Guardian. Caught off guard, the Dreg had little time to react as the Guardian reached forward, grabbed the Dreg by its throat and stabbed it in the side of its head. The Dreg died, and the Guardian let the body fall to the ground as he stood onto his feet and pulled his knife free from the alien.**

 **"The Fallen have a tighter hold on this place than I thought. Just a little further. Let's hope there's something left out there..." Pennydroid said as soon as the last Fallen had _fallen_ to the ground.**

"Heh. Blake was right!" Yang declared, wrapping an arm over the cat faunus.

Ozpin steepled his fingers as he watched the Guardian come back to life. It reminded him too much of how a certain someone could remain immortal.

Intrigued by what she saw, Cinder rose an eyebrow and said to Alaric. "So, Guardians will no longer need to fear death. Do they?"

Alaric let out a chuckle and replied to Cinder's query. "No. Guardians do still fear death. They can die permanently if their Ghost is destroyed, they run out of Light, or they are killed with certain weapons. Particularly those of a Dark nature. Other than that, they're immortal."

 **Proceeding through the large vent, and exiting through a door to the right, the Guardian left the wall's interior and found themselves in the outdoors once again. It was now dark, the Sun having disappeared from the sky and replaced by a bright moon.** **They were in a wide open space, a few long abandoned buildings here and there, a couple rusting tanks nearby. Snow, trees, and all manner of vegetation had covered a good deal of what had once been a central piece of Man's expansion into the stars. Overlooking it all was what looked like a spire with three spheres stacked on top of each other.** **"This was an old Cosmodrome. There's got to be something we can fly out of here."**

"What is that thing?" Pyrrha pointed at the tall objected that reached high into the sky.

"That was a colony ship." Alaric explained once more. Not really sure whether he actually liked having to do this so much. "Humanity of this world would use them to sent hundreds of colonists towards the other planets of the Solar System. Those spheres are where the colonists would stay, frozen in stasis until they reached their destination."

Plenty of the audience took in the sight of the Cosmodrome and tried to imagine what it was like before the Darkness' arrival. Ironwood voicing what they were thinking."Incredible. This place must have been busy before all things went to hell."

"Well, with a population nearing or well over 11 billion people, sending a good number of them out to other planets isn't actually a bad idea." Alaric threw in that little bit of information. Garnering a shocked reaction from his guests.

"11 billion?!" The audience said as one. The latest estimate of how many Humans and Faunus populated the entirety of Remnant was roughly around 5 billion people. 11 billion was mindboggling to the audience.

 **As the Guardian jogged into the area, a red flare was shot into the sky some distance away. Seconds later, a massive portal began to open in the sky far away from the Guardian's position**

 **"Incoming!" Ghost warned.**

 **Bursting from the portal, a large alien ship materialized in the sky. The force of its arrival sending two colony ships in the distance toppling to the ground, causing the ground to shake under the Guardian. Smaller portals also appeared, smaller ships approximately the size of a Bullhead coming from them.**

 **"Fallen ships? This close to the surface?!" Ghost exclaimed in shock, as the large ship passed over the Guardian. "Move!"**

 **The Guardian did as Ghost said and sprinted forward, however, one of the smaller ships had come and was now hovering over the ground ahead of the Guardian. From it, several Fallen dropped to the ground and advanced on the Guardian, as the ship moved on, following the larger vessel to wherever it was going. Also in the area was what looked like the remains of a spider-like mech.**

 **Jumping from a raised area, the Guardian killed two Dregs with single burst of their rifle. A Vandal that had been with the Dregs retreated backwards, firing at the Guardian, but it shared a similar fate as its comrades when the Guardian turned their sights on it and killed the alien scavenger with another burst from their rifle.**

 **In the distance, the five Fallen who had been dropped from the Fallen ship, four Dregs and one Vandal, began to advance forward. Though the Vandal stayed behind.**

 **The Fallen were some distance away from the Guardian, so the Guardian took out their sniper rifle and began picking them all off one by one. Yet, as the Guardian's scope fell on the Vandal, they saw that the alien's weapon was aimed at him and blue energy began to build up from the barrel of their weapon. Ghost suddenly shouting a warning. "Get down!"**

 **Following Ghost's instructions, the Guardian dropped to the floor. And not a moment too soon. For a** **streak of blue energy and a loud crack cut through the air where the Guardian had stood.**

 **Getting back up, the Guardian levelled his sniper, taking a moment to focus on the Vandal's head, and pulled the trigger. A split-second later, the Vandal's head was gone.**

"For someone who just came back to life, and has not had any training in how to use firearms or any form of combat whatsoever since their revival. This Guardian is rather skilled." Winter admitted.

 **"Nice work! I'm picking up signs of an old jumpship over there. Could be our ticket out of here." Ghost informed the Guardian as they got onto their feet and reloaded their rifle.**

 **The Guardian followed Ghost's instructions, and ran inside a building.** **As they went inside, Ghost spoke up again. "This is good! You know how I'm able to make ammo for you? Well, guess what. I can also do the same for grenades. Made a couple incendiary grenades for you, might make your next suicidal charge even easier."**

"He can make grenades?!" Nora yelled at the top of their lungs. "This is hands down the best sidekick ever! Well, practically anyway. There are totally other sidekicks out there with better personalities and stories."

"That was oddly specific." Oscar commented on Nora's words.

Ren turned to Oscar and said reassuringly to the young boy. "She can be like that. You'll get used to her."

 **Advancing further into the building, the Guardian entered a room with computers and nets hanging from the ceiling. Inside was also a band of four Dregs and a Vandal. Thankfully, they were unaware of the Guardian's presence, and were simply rummaging through the room for anything valuable.**

 **Producing an incendiary grenade, the Guardian pulled the pin, let it cook for a second and threw it in the middle of the Fallen. One of the Dregs was able to let out an alarmed shriek before the grenade exploded with a loud, fiery bang engulfed the Fallen. Killing them all.**

 **Moving through the room, the Guardian entered a large hall with an open ceiling. There, an aged jumpship was suspended in the air by cables. Several Fallen stood on and around it, among them the larger and more armoured Fallen that had been observing Pennydroid.**

 **A Vandal looting the jumpship noticed the Guardian and let out a cry, the larger Fallen, a Captain, turned and let out a roar before teleporting a short distance away.**

 **"There's a ship! Clear them out!"**

"A ship? It's a piece of junk!" Weiss said as she looked on the very aged jumpship.

"Eh. Just stick a bit of tape to it and it'll be fine. Not everything's going to be in pristine condition." Qrow said to Weiss. The Schnee heiress let outa humph and resumed watching the events onscreen.

 **The Guardian began to fire at the Fallen as they advanced into the hall, careful to avoid damaging the jumpship. He was able to eliminate a Vandal, and three Dregs with a single magazine, but was forced to cover when the Captain began firing the Fallen's equivalent of a shotgun at him. The Captain's weapon fired four flaming projectiles at the Guardian with each shot it took. From an adjacent room, two of the Fallen's drones, Shanks, entered the room and shot repeatedly at the Guardian's position.**

 **The Guardian peaked from his cover and shot at the Shanks, dispatching them easily. But, when his aim turned to the Captain, he found that his bullets were stopped by a transparent blue forcefield, and was force back into cover when the Captain retaliated. One of the Captain's shots catching the Guardian's right shoulder.**

"I'm guessing that shield's not Aura." Taiyang assumed correctly.

"Indeed, absorption shield. Most Fallen Captains have one. Others from different alien races have their own versions too. However, these shields are vulnerable to certain elements." The Keeper began to provide more exposition. "There's Arc, Solar, and Void. That shield is made of Arc energy. Not only can these elements be used for shielding, they are used in weapons, and the Guardians use these elements as part of their Traveler-given powers. That grenade this Guardian used was infused with Solar energy, as such they are naturally attuned to Solar, but they can learn to be proficient with other elements."

"Incredible." Oobleck muttered to himself. He'd been jotting as much as he could down on a notebook. His pen moving so fast that the naked eye was barely able to see it. He'd been taking notes of everything he saw in all the universes they had seen, well, at lest the important things.

 **The Guardian clenched their left fist in frustration.** **Taking another grenade, the Guardian threw it over his cover, and as soon as the bang went off, they left cover, rifle in hand and began shooting away at the Fallen.**

 **The grenade had killed one of the Dregs, its body launched into the air as it was also consumed by the heat that accompanied the explosion. Another Dreg that had been following its comrade and was able to dodge out of the way in time was next, losing its head to a pinpoint headshot. The last Vandal followed afterwards, it recovered and raised its rifle at the Guardian, but the Guardian sprayed four bullets at its chest, killing it.**

 **There was now only the Guardian and the Captain. The Captain angrily roared at the Guardian and fired several times at them, forcing the Guardian to hide behind some crates. The Captain spoke in a deep voice, uttering something that the Guardian and the audience did not fully understand, though, they knew from the way the Fallen spoke that it was a threat or a promise of pain.**

 **The Guardian emerged from behind the crates and spent much of the magazine currently attached to his rifle on the Captain's shield, and as the Fallen was about to shoot back, he threw their knife at the Captain's head**

 **Th** **e** **Captain teleported away from the Guardian's knife and returned fire at the Guardian. The Guardian let out a burst from his rifle before ducking behind cover again. The Guardian searched for a new magazine for their rifle, but found that they had none.**

 **"I'm sorry! I don't have enough materials to synthesize ammo for your rifle." Pennydroid apologized. Seeing no other option, the Guardian scooted over to the nearby dead body of a Dreg and took its pistol.** **"Fallen Shock Pistol. It's better than nothing."**

 **The Captain suddenly emerged beside the Guardian, using their ability to teleport to get in close. It roared and shot at the Guardian. The Guardian stepped back, and returned fire with the Shock Pistol he held in his hands. The Captain's shields were able to absorb the damage, but, the shield dissipated far quicker than it had done when the Guardian had used his rifle.**

 **With its shields down, the Captain boldly advanced forward and swiped its powerful top left arm at the Guardian.** **The attack struck the side of the Guardian's head. Stunned, the Guardian tripped and fell to the floor. Dropping the Shock Pistol in the process.**

 **Looming over the Guardian, the Fallen Captain reached down with its top left arm grabbed hold of the Guardian's throat, and lifted him into the air. Pulling him closely towards itself, the Fallen began to laugh and said something in its language. The Guardian punched the Captain, but, this did more to piss the alien off than anything else.**

 **Enraged, the Captain, with a ferocious roar and as much might as it could muster, threw the Guardian to the ground. The Guardian letting out a pained grunt as their back slammed onto the concrete floor.**

"Ah man. Is this how it ends?" Neptune said, extremely worried for the Guardian.

"No! It can't be! Not after all that!" Ruby yelled at the top of her voice. If the Guardian was killed, the Captain could just kill him over and over again until they had no Light left, or could just kill Pennydroid. She didn't want to see the hero of the story die. Not again. Not like what happened to Artorias.

 **The Captain planted a foot on the Guardian's chest and started to reload its weapon so it could kill the Guardian.**

 **The Guardian slammed a fist against the Captain's foot, but the alien wouldn't budge. Seeing that removing the foot was not an option, the Guardian reached out for a weapon with his right hand, yet found nothing. That was when they felt something strange.**

 **As the Guardian grasped for a weapon, he felt something like fire rush through his right arm until it pooled in his hand. Suddenly, in a brilliant burst of light like that of a miniature sun, the Guardian felt the solid grip of a weapon in his hand, and his index finger in a trigger. Looking towards his hand, the Guardian and the audience saw a hand cannon wreathed in fire clutched in the Guardian's hand.**

"Whaaaaaa-?!" Was the general approximation of what most of the audience had shouted when they saw the gun suddenly manifest in the Guardian's hand.

 **Wasting no time, the Guardian rose his arm and aimed the gun at the Captain's head. The Fallen, seeing this, made an attempt to retreat, but it was too late.**

 **With a loud crack, the Guardian fired a single bullet of Solar light from the gun. The shot finding its mark, the Captain disintegrating the moment the bullet struck it in the head.**

Alaric, sensing the questions his guests were going to ask, went ahead and answered them before they could even utter another word. "Like I said. Guardians wield the power of the Traveler, and in this instance, this Guardian, a Hunter, can channel it so that it can take the form of a hand cannon imbued with an intense concentration of Solar energy. If he desires to learn how to, he can learn how to imbue his knife with Arc, electrical energy crackling all around the blade. Or, he can draw a bow made of Void from the space between spaces that will pin down his enemies."

The audience were highly intrigued and desired to know more. Sensing that too, Alaric continued. "Another type of Guardian, Titans, can channel Arc energy so that they become a lightning bolt, and the thunder after. They can use Void to create a protective dome around themselves and their allies. Or use Solar to summon a hammer of said energy."

"And Warlocks can summon an explosive Void bomb that can annihilate entire squads of enemies. Let themselves become as radiant as the Sun itself with Solar, and rise back up from death. And use Arc to become the eye of a storm, lightning shooting from their hands. Either way, they're all powerful."

The audience, upon learning of this, really liked what they heard. Sure, those abilities weren't as diverse as their own semblances, but these sounded amazing. Internally, the group thought about which of those abilities they thought were the best and was the one that they would want to be theirs.

 **The Guardian tiredly got onto his feet, the Golden Gun disappearing from his hand seconds later. Pennydroid appeared above their shoulder, and said. "I knew you were the right choice.** **Alright, let me see if I can get us out of here."**

 **She then flew up to the jumpship and began to scan it.**

"That thing must have been there for goodness knows how long. There's no chance it can fly." Glynda voiced her opinion on the jumpship.

 **"Arcadia-Class. It's been here awhile. Hasn't made a jump in centuries. We're lucky the Fallen haven't picked it clean. But,** **I can make it work." Pennydroid disappeared into the jumpship. After a brief moment, the jumpship's engines steadily sang back to life. As it began to move, the jumpship broke free of the cables holding it, and the ancient jumpship hovered in the air before the Guardian.**

"You were saying, Glynda?" Ozpin chuckled at his subordinate. Glynda conceded and took a sip from her drink.

Yang, able to appreciate a good piece of engineering when she saw one, whistled, and said. "Man, whoever built that must have really known how to make something that lasts."

 **"Okay, it's not going to break orbit, but it might get us to The City. Now, about that transmat..." Pennydroid began. From behind the Guardian, a deep, rumbling growl was heard. Turning, the Guardian saw, emerging from a hole in the wall, a titanic Fallen that towered over its Vandal companions. Appearance-wise, it look very much like the Captain the Guardian had killed, yet its helmet enclosed the entirety of its head, with six orange eye-lenses and two horn-like decorations at the** **sides.**

"Holy snap! That guy is huge!" Neptune yelled in shock. The others to where shocked by the sheer size of this giant Fallen.

 **"Bringing you in!" Pennydroid said before the two parties could engage it other. The Guardian disappeared, being teleported into the Jumpship as it began to rise out of the room.**

 **The two Vandals accompanying the Archon leapt forward and fired at the jumpship, yet, despite how large of a target the damn thing was, they missed it completely. The Archon simply walked calmly up to where the Guardian had stood and watched the jumpship leave.**

"How the hell do you miss that?" Roman shook his head in disappointment. Those two Vandals were as bad as Junior's henchmen, and those animals in the White Fang he'd been forced to work with.

 **"We can come back for them when you're ready. Let's get you home." Pennydroid said, as the jumpship exited the room and flew off into the night's sky. Standing on a roof, a mysterious hooded figure with their back to the camera watched jumpship disappear into the distance.**

"Who's that?" Pyrrha wondered.

Alaric waved a hand dismissively and responded. "Eh, don't bother asking that right now."

"Why?" The red-haired girl asked him.

"Because I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain." Alaric responded, internally chuckling to himself at what he had said.

Everyone else didn't understand him, Oscar going on to say. "That... didn't make sense."

"To you at least, hehehehehe." Alaric laughed to himself. The audience, accepting that not only were some of the universes they were going to see were weird, but also their host was also weird as well, decided to move on and watch what else was going on onscreen.

 **After a brief cut to black, TV screen now showed the Guardian's jumpship fly over some snowy mountains, and through a storm. The jumpship soon broke through the clouds, and there, the rays of the newly risen Sun falling upon it, was the Traveler. And beneath it, a sprawling city, and around that city was an immense wall with a tall tower standing as part of the wall.**

"Holy gods." Port mumbled. He and the rest of the audience were struck with awe by the sight.

"It's the Traveler." Penny pointed at the gigantic white sphere, but, she noticed that its formerly pristine exterior was damaged. "But, what happened to it? Was it the Darkness."

Alaric nodded and said. "Yes. The Traveler was rendered comatose from its battle against the Darkness. It defended Humanity and paid a steep price for it. Before it fell into its deathlike sleep, it created the Ghosts, to seek out those who could wield its Light as a weapon. Guardians, to protect what remained of the humanity, and do what it no longer could."

 **The Guardian's jumpship flew over the one of the towers, changing to a view from it, the jumpship slowed overhead and the Guardian and their Ghost teleported onto the Tower. The Guardian, still wearing their battered armour, looked around in amazement before turning to the Traveler.**

 **"Welcome to the last safe city on Earth. The only place The Traveler can still protect. It took centuries to build. Now, we're counting every day it stands. And this Tower is where the Guardians live." Pennydroid said to the Guardian.**

 **The Guardian turned back to face the plaza he stood upon. It was a wide open space, banners flew in the air, and the decorative spots of grass, plants, and two trees in the plaza basked in the morning Sun. There were three layers of the plaza, each only a slight bit higher above the previous one. A set of stairs on the second layer led down into the tower. Tall walls surrounded the plaza.**

 **A low building tended two by a blue-skinned woman and an android over to the left side of the second layer. To the right, two kiosks at them a robot and another man with blue-skin stood.**

 **Also present at the plaza were quite a few Guardians.**

 **Some were gathered around the kiosks. Others were doing their own thing.**

 **Like conversing with one another. Showing off new weapons and pieces of armour. Sitting on the floor or dancing with each other. And chasing after a purple ball.**

 **The screen then faded to dark.**

"What?! No! I wanted to see more!" Ruby protested. Others too wanted to see more of the universe. It was amongst the most interesting of the universes they had seen.

"I said you needed a break, you're getting a break!" Alaric responded. "We'll revisit this universe later if you want. But not for a while. I got a whole lot more to show you. Now, go on. Use the toilet, chat amongst yourselves, or do whatever. I need to go outside for a moment"

The Keeper stood up from his chair and left out through the door that led to the main part of the Repository. In his haste to leave, Alaric had left behind his remote on the armrest of his chair. Interested in the remote, Cinder looked towards her minions, who, understanding what she wanted, calmly moved forward towards it. Mercury reached down to pick it up, but was stopped by Qrow, who picked the remote up first and said to Mercury and Emerald.

"I don't think so. You do not want to mess with this remote." Qrow warned. However, his actions were not just motivated by the last incident where they messed around with Alaric's stuff, but also because he was suspicious of the two and Cinder. He didn't know where, but he knew he'd seen them before somewhere.

Mercury and Emerald, not wanting to mess with the veteran huntsman retreated back to Cinder, and the three fell into a whispered discussion.

Qrow let his sights linger on the three for a long moment, before going over to Ruby and her friends. The remote still in hand. He might as well get to know more about how Ruby was doing in Beacon, and safeguard Alaric's remote in the same time.


	15. Interlude 1

**Author's Note:**

 **Alright, this chapter will be short. But, I have introduced a few new characters into the audience.**

 **And there are parts where there is a someone speaking in a non-English language. I am not really fluent in other languages apart from a few words or phrases, so you'll have to forgive any mistakes I make. I had to use Google Translate. If there are any mistakes, please, let me know through the reviews or PM, and I'll have it corrected when I put up the next chapter.**

* * *

 **Interlude 1**

Left alone to their own devices, the audience came together in their little groups or pairs and began to converse with one another. But after ten minutes had pasted, three popping sounds cut through the air in chorus, and three new arrivals fell into chairs that materialized with them.

Three new arrivals that were recognized by a few members of the audience.

"Mom? Dad?!" Blake exclaimed in shock. Indeed, two of the new arrivals were her parents, Kali and Ghira Belladonna. The two older Belladonnas' heard their daughter's voice and looked in her direction.

"Blake?" Kali whispered, getting up from her chair and walking up to her daughter. Ghira following after his wife, the panther faunus sharing his wife's amazement at seeing their daughter after so long.

"H-Hi." Blake meekly replied, giving the two a nervous wave. There was a brief pause, which was finally broken when Kali leapt forward and tightly embraced her daughter. Ghira calmly walked forward and smiled down at Blake.

They exchanged no words, but, the family was happy be together again.

The same couldn't be said for those who recognized the third person who had arrived.

"Raven." Tai, Qrow, and the Beacon professors said in unison. Recognizing the raven-haired swordswoman.

Raven Branwen stood up in alarm, and reached for her sword, yet found it absent from her side. She quickly examined the room she was in, the bandit leader finding it to resemble one of Beacon's common rooms, yet different in it ways that indicated that she and the others were not in Beacon. Having taken in her surroundings, Raven stood up straight and looked to the people also present.

She ignored the glares from Tai, her brother, and the Beacon staff. Practically didn't even register her daughter standing beside Summer Rose's lookalike of a daughter. Her eyes lingered for a second when they fell on Roman and Neo, the two retreating a step when they saw Raven looking at them. But, her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw Cinder and her minions, recognizing through years of experience when a person could be considered close enough to a threat to her. Raven also noticed that no one else in the room wielded a weapon, and became more suspicious of what was going on than she already was.

The bandit leader turned to Qrow and said, more of a demand than a question. "Where are we and why are we here, Qrow?"

Before anything else was said or done, sounds like the rumble of thunder split the air, and a four more people fell into the room. This time, no furniture appeared beneath them, so they noisily crashed onto the ground. Seeing them fall to the floor, and feeling an odd impulse to help them, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ruby, Ozpin, and Zwei went to these new arrivals and helped them onto their feet.

Jaune and Pyrrha helped up an arrival, a knight, wearing a full suit of 15th Century plate armour, and wielding a tall spear that bore a long, pure white standard below the spear tip.

"Quoi-? _(What-?)_ " The knightly figure said in alarmed confusion. Their voice muffled by their enclosing helmet.

"Are you okay?" Jaune asked the knight, unsure why he was concerned for this new arrival.

The knight pointed to their helmet with their left hand and said. "Mon casque, aidez-moi s'il vous plaît à le retirer. _(My helmet, please help me to remove it)_ "

Jaune and Pyrrha did not understand what the knight was saying, but, they understood from the gestures the knight was making with their hands that they wanted their helmet removed. So, carefully, Pyrrha helped the knight remove their helm. As soon as the helmet was removed from the knight's head, Jaune and Pyrrha's eyes widened and mouths opened as soon as they laid eyes on the knight's face.

It was not the fact the knight was a young woman, one or two years older than them, that surprised them. But how much she resembled Jaune. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. She looked like a female version of Jaune.

Free from the confines of her helmet. the young woman took a deep breath, and introduced herself to the two people before her. "Je vous remercie. Je suis Jeanne d'Arc. Quels sont vos noms? _(Thank you. I am Joan of Arc. What are your names?)_ "

Over by Ruby, she ran up to another of the new arrivals. But, she stopped and stood frozen where she stood once she saw them.

Why?

Because this new arrival was a chibi version of herself. She looked exactly like her, though her small body should not be able to support Chibi Ruby's large head. But that didn't matter, because this other Ruby was absolutely adorable in Ruby's eyes.

"Oooh. Where am I? Why's everything so huge and-?" Chibi Ruby paused when she noticed the 'giant' version of herself standing above her.

The two Rubys, or is it Rubies(?), stared at each other before the both of them leapt into the air, pointed at each other, and shouted at the top of their lungs. "Oh my gosh, you're so adorable!"

Moving onto Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon stood frozen, his eyes wide, lower lip trembling, and his hands beginning to shake.

For before him stood a woman wearing a white sleeveless shirt and long skirt. Long blonde-hair fell down her back, with a bit tied into a bun, and a lock that framed the left side of her face. Her smooth skin was fair, and her eyes were light blue. And her voice, when she finally spoke, was one that the reincarnating Headmaster of Beacon had not heard for millennia.

"Hello? Um, where am I? How did I get here?" The woman asked the Ozpin, bewildered by how she suddenly appeared in this unfamiliar room and surrounded by these strange people.

Ozpin, taking a moment to recover his wits, shook his head. And, mustering all his strength to remain as calm as he could, spoke to the woman. "I... I am Headmaster Ozpin. May I ask where you were before you suddenly arrived in this place?"

The woman was slightly confused by Ozpin's choice of question. Having expected him to ask her name first. She decided to answer it however, and responded. "I was locked inside my 'quarters', a prison really, by my father. A terribly cruel man."

"And..." Ozpin paused, bracing himself for her answer. "...what is your name."

"Salem." The woman instantly replied.

Upon hearing her reply, Ozpin fainted. The confirmation of the woman's identity proving too much for him. Alarmed Salem rushed forward and caught him before his unconscious body could hit the floor.

Salem was confused, and somewhat afraid. Where was she? What magic made her come here? Why had this man, Ozpin, fallen unconscious as soon as she said her name? And why was that girl in that red dress with amber-eyes and long black hair staring at her in shock?

The fourth, and final, person to arrive was not a person at all. But a dog, specifically a Shiba Inu, with black and tan fur.

Zwei ran up to the larger dog and barked at the Shiba Inu in a friendly manner. The new dog barked back at the Pembroke Welsh Corgi in a similar manner. The two dogs seemed to be getting on rather well.

The door that Alaric had left through opened, the Keeper stepping into the room with Talos, his bronze automaton assistant, behind him. In Alaric's hands was a tablet. Talos also had a tablet, but he held it with his left hand, while a stylus was in his right.

"Right Talos, have the following stored in the Repository. RWBY: the Yuri Universe. The universe where team RWBY are vampires. The universes where Cinder is the good protagonist and Ren is a shota. Steampunk Remnant. The bloody 298th Zombie Remnant. And that pocket universe where the Battle of Crecy is constantly being replayed over and over again. I still don't understand how that happened. Oh, and quarantine all Deadpool Universes. If another Deadpool gets out, I lose that week-long trip to Glittering Beaches of-" Alaric looked to his guests and noticed the new additions.

The Keeper didn't say a word but silently counted the new arrivals and to Talos questioningly. The automaton looking blankly back at him.

Alaric hummed for a moment and commanded the bronze automaton. "Talos, activate my Varangians. Have them perform a sweep of the Repository for any intruders. And personally see to it that we have no leaks in the universes."

Talos bowed his head and left with out a word, the door closing behind him as the automaton left. With that out of the way, Alaric walked up to his guests, pointed at the last four new arrivals, and said. "What was the sound that accompanied these four?"

"It was like thunder." Ren responded.

Alaric thumbed his masked chin before making a single dismissive wave of his hand and said. "Ah well, the four of you are here now. You might as well stay for a bit."

"Is there something wrong?" Winter stepped forward and asked the black-clad Keeper.

"When Talos comes back, or if something like what just happened occurs a second time, then we'll know if we have a problem." Alaric answered as he stepped towards the new arrivals and began to explain to them where they were and what he planned for them.

As was to be expected, there was a good deal of confusion and disbelief from the seven newcomers. But were placated when the guests already present spoke up to confirm that Alaric's words were true, and when he demonstrated his powers to them. The Keeper made Kali and Ghira younger. Raven's hair to turn pink, and instantly returned it back to its normal state when she glared intensely at him. Jeanne's armour was replaced by the clothes she wore as a peasant. Chibi Ruby was buried in a small mountain of cookies. Salem's hair and skin was changed into white before she was returned back to normal. And the Shiba Inu was enlarged so that it was as tall as Yatsuhashi.

After the new arrivals were turned back to normal, everyone was sat down, a cushioned chair made for Salem, and a coach for Kali and Ghira. Raven was sat at the other side of the audience, away from Taiyang, Qrow, and Yang, the latter was refusing to take her eyes of her estranged mother. Chibi Ruby sat beside her taller counterpart. Jeanne d'Arc sat next to Jaune.

Zwei and the Shiba Inu lay on the floor at team RWBY's feet. Curious of the new dog's identity, and struggling to contain her urge to pet it, Weiss faced Alaric, who was handed his remote back by Qrow, and asked. "What's this dog's name?"

"Huh? Oh, it's San, it means three _(in Japanese)_. He's an alternate version of Zwei. Jeanne d'Arc is your counterpart Jaune. Chibi Ruby is from a universe where you're all chibis. And Salem here is a universe separate from yours as well." Keeper Alaric explained. Though, that last part caught the attention of several in the audience.

"Wait. Why would you mention-?" Pyrrha began, giving voice to those not aware of who Salem was in their universe, but was interrupted when Alaric shouted.

"Enough! Begin!" And with those words, he pressed a button on his remote and the screen began to play the next universe.

* * *

 **Right, that's another chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse done.**

 **I thought of bringing Present Day Salem into the mix. But it was me, Dio! Whoops, wrong show. Backing out of Meme Alley, I chose Past Salem because what better way to mess with the emotions of some of the audience members than bringing Past Salem. And because I'm certain no other react fanfic writer has done this yet. Hehehehe.**

 **And yes, Alaric was being truthful, this Salem is from another universe.** **I will have whatever mysterious force that is bringing in other people into the Repository send in a few others here and there.**

 **Below is the list of universes that I see potential in doing or are interesting enough for me to do. All of your requests I do write down and take a note of. So, if you don't see your requests on the lists, know that I have them in a notebook.**

 **Personal Ideas:**

 **\- Aliens vs Predator**

 **\- Diablo 3 Cinematics**

 **\- Dynasty Warriors**

 **\- Endless Space 2 - Faction Trailers**

 **\- Final Fantasy XV Kingsglaive**

 **\- For Honor**

 **\- Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There** _\- Before any of you requests it, Jaune isn't going to be Yoji Itami_

 **\- Gilded Guy vs Jade** _\- I'd prefer to do this over Gilded Guy vs Bog, but GG vs B is in list, don't you worry whoever requested it_

 **\- I'm at soup**

 **\- Lord of the Rings**

 **\- Red vs Blue**

 **\- RWBY: V6 C3, The Lost Fable** _\- Am I crazy enough to do this? Of course I am! But not for a while. Not until we know more about what's really going on_

 **\- Stand By Me**

 **\- Templin Institute**

 **\- Warhammer 40,000**

 **\- Three Kingdoms (2010)**

 **Original Ideas:**

 **\- Auric Weapons** _\- In this Remnant, Humanity and Faunus use the power of their souls to create weapons_

 **\- Damsel Not In Distress**

 **\- Demi-Human Students of Beacon**

 **\- Dragon Knights** _\- You know what's more awesome than a Dragon or a Knight, not a lot really, especially a Dragon. But Knights riding Dragons are pretty cool in my opinion_

 **\- The Edelweiss Corsairs**

 **\- The Jade Rabbit**

 ** _-_ RWBY: MMORPG **_\- In this universe, RWBY, their friends, and a few others pass the time by playing an MMORPG game. Inspired from World of Warcraft, Overlord, and my limited knowledge of Sword Art Online._

 **Requested Ideas:**

 **\- Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better**

 **\- Asura's Wrath**

 **\- Assassin's Creed**

 **\- Attack on Titan**

 **\- Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **\- Avengers: Infinity War**

 **\- Big Hero 6**

 **\- Ben-To** \- _I checked out the first episode of this anime, and I wasn't really prepared for what I saw. Thank you Midnight49 for recommending this._

 **\- Bioshock**

 **\- Black Panther**

 **\- Bloodborne**

 **\- Castlevania Lords of Shadows 2 Trailer**

 **\- Code Geass**

 **\- College Humour skits**

 **\- Cyberpunk 2077**

 **\- Dead Space**

 **\- Deadpool**

 **\- Destiny 2**

 **\- Devil May Cry 5**

 **\- Dragonball Z**

 **\- Far Cry 4**

 **\- Fate/stay Night Unlimited Blade Works**

 **\- Fate Apocrypha**

 **\- Gilded Guy vs Bog** _\- When I watched this I had no idea what was going on_

 **\- Gundam 00**

 **\- Half-Life 2**

 **\- Halo Legends - The Duel, Prototype, or the Babysitter**

 **\- Highschool DXD**

 **\- Hitman**

 **\- Infamous Second Son Trailer**

 **\- Jojo's Bizzare Adventures**

 **\- Jurassic World or Jurassic Park**

 **\- Kamen Rider**

 **\- Logan**

 **\- Madness Combat**

 **\- Mass Effect**

 **\- Miracle of Sound**

 **\- Metal Gear Solid 3 or 5**

 **\- My Hero Academia**

 **\- One Piece**

 **\- One Punch Man**

 **\- Overwatch**

 **\- Pacific Rim**

 **\- Persona 5**

 **\- Pirates of the Caribbean**

 **\- Prince of Egypt** \- For this, it's either going to be the first part where Moses' mother sends him floating in the Nile, the ten plagues of Egypt song, or when Moses parts the Red Sea and crosses it. Either way, thank you for requesting this Dcraus. First watched the movies in high school, personally enjoyed it.

 **\- Red Dead Redemption 2**

 **\- RWBY Chibi**

 **\- See You Again**

 **\- Seven Deadly Sins**

 **\- Shadow of Mordor**

 **\- Super Smash Bros World of Light Trailer** _\- I think it best if I keep the characters as they are. They're already fascinating enough without me replacing them with the RWBY cast_

 **\- Soul Eater**

 **\- Star Wars**

 **\- Super Sentai Gokaiger**

 **\- Terminator**

 **\- Tom Clancy – Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell**

 **\- Walking Dead**

 **\- Warframe**

 **\- Witcher 3 - Killing Monsters**

 **\- World of Warcraft Cinematics**

 **\- Venture Bros**


	16. WOW: Azeroth's Last Hope

**Author's Note:**

 **You can say whatever you want about Blizzard, but, you can't deny that they are capable of producing some of the most amazing cinematic trailers out there.**

 **O** **n the matter of Jeanne d'Arc. She will not be an exact copy of any historical or fictional versions of her. I'm taking some inspiration on how to portray her off her historical depiction, and her portrayal in Koei's Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War and Warriors Orochi 3. However, she will not be a complete copy of those versions.**

 **Finally. I must express my thanks to all who followed, favourited, made requests, and generally showed support for this fanfiction.**

* * *

 **World of Warcraft: Azeroth's Last Hope**

As the TV screen came to life, Alaric noticed that Ozpin was still unconscious and said. "Would one of you kindly wake Ozpin up, please."

Salem, desiring to know more about the silver-haired Headmaster and why he had fainted, stepped forward and offered herself up to perform the task. However, the members of Ozpin's inner circle stepped in and prevented her from doing so. Ironwood himself saying to Salem. "Don't worry ma'am. We'll take care of Professor Ozpin."

"Oh. Very well then." Salem replied before retreating back to her seat. Her gaze lingering on Ozpin as his inner circle revived him. She'd have her answers, one way or another.

As that was happening, Jaune and Jeanne were in the midst of their own little discussion. Alaric mentally translating everything the two said to each other.

"So, you were born into a family of farmers? And you went on to do all that?" Jaune questioned his female counterpart from another universe. He felt rather inadequate when he learnt she told of her feats in a war that was going on in her world. He also found this entire situation very weird.

"Yes. How about you?" Jeanne asked, also finding everything that was happening to be strange in her eyes.

"Eh, I can't say much. We've got a lot of Huntsmen in my family, so I too want to be one. Y'know, honour the family and all that." Jaune somewhat nervously replied.

At Team RWBY, Kali was getting acquainted with her daughter's team. "Those these are your teammates, Blake?"

"Y-Yes mom. These are my friend and teammates." Blake

"Hello, Mrs. Belladonna!" Ruby cheerily waved at Kali.

Weiss bowed her head and said to the older cat faunus. "It is a great pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Belladonna."

"Hi there." Yang half-heartedly said, her eyes darting over to her mother.

Kali smiled and spoke with a happy tone in her voice. "It's so good to see that my little girl's making friends. Now, who wants to hear stories of when Blake was an adorable kitten?"

"Mom!" Blake yelled.

Kali giggled at her daughter's response and said. "Just kidding!"

Ghira was staring down at Sun, the panther faunus having noticed how Sun had been looking at his daughter. Sun, very intimidated by the larger man, tried to calmly smile at Ghira, though his nervousness was obvious to see by all.

Raven, well. She was sat with her arms crossed and silently waiting for Alaric to get on with it.

 **The screen remained dark for a moment, then a deep voice reverberated from the speakers. "My son, a terrible darkness has returned to our world."**

Ruby recognized the voice to be none other than her father's, Taiyang, prompting her to say aloud. "Dad, its you this time!"

Taiyang, needing a moment to recognize the voice, also realized that the speaker was indeed him and said. "Sure is Rubes. I wonder how I look in this universe."

Port, having helped to successfully resuscitate Ozpin, noted the whole mention of a 'son' and said, strolling his mighty moustache as he did. "Hmmm, it seems the Tai in this universe has a son."

The Xiao Longs noticed this and became curious. In his two marriages, Tai had never produced a son with either Summer nor Raven. Was this son a sibling of Yang and Ruby? Were the two girls even in this universe? Had Taiyang married another woman instead?

Though she herself didn't show it, Raven was slightly interested in what her ex-husband would be like in this universe, and the son that was mentioned. From the descriptions provided by Alaric and his explanation of the Multiverse, anything could happen. At the edge of the bandit leader's sight, she could see Yang frequently sending glances towards her, a mess of emotions roiling inside her blonde-haired daughter. Qrow was less subtle about the looks he was sending Raven, very much to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't try to pull off anything... drastic.

 **The camera steadily flew through storm clouds with an eerie green tint to them. Lightning cracked here and there, it too also being of a green colouration.**

Both the clouds, the lightning, and Taiyang's words created a sense of foreboding in the audience.

 **"As before, it seeks to annihilate all that we hold dear." Taiyang continued. The scene changing to show the man stood over a table, writing away at a piece of parchment in what looked like the great cabin, or captain's quarters, of a ship from Remnants 'Age of Sail'. A period in time where sailing ships were the dominant mode of transportation across the seas.**

 **The Taiyang of this universe was, as had been observed of others from the audience who appeared on the screen before them, different in appearance to his counterpart in the audience. He wore ornate armour over his torso, shoulders, forearms, and the lower half of his leg. A red cape hung from his shoulders. There was a noticeable lion motif to this Taiyang's attire, lion heads present on his belt, his kneeguards, the clasps of his cape, and his left pauldron, the right being dominated by a depiction of an eagle's head.**

 **And that was just what the man wore. His face was rough, and he had two noticeable scars. One ran from his left cheek, over his left eye, and ended above his left eyebrow. The second cut from one side of his face, the scar going over his nose. His blonde hair was set in a short ponytail.**

 **"I go to face it, knowing I may not return."**

"Whoa." Qrow uttered. He, Ruby and Yang thought Tai looked like a hardened badass in this universe.

Both Zwei and Shi, the alternate version of Zwei, wagged their tails excitedly at seeing that a version of their owner was on screen.

A few others in the audience, particularly Coco and Jeanne, liked the armour that the Tai onscreen. Coco, though she wasn't a fan of plate armour, had to admit that the armour that Ruby and Yang's dad suited him rather well. Jeanne liked the armour because of how it was probably the finest suit of armour she had ever laid eyes on.

Over by Raven, she had to admit to herself that this version of Tai was rather... interesting. He looked strong, she thought, but that was an assumption based on his appearance. And she'd learnt that appearances could be deceiving. She'd watch and wait before her final opinion of this version of her ex-husband.

"So, what kind of person am I in this universe?" Tai asked Alaric.

"A king." Keeper Alaric instantly replied. "King Taiyang Wrynn of Stormwind if I recall. I didn't record this universe, so there might be few gaps in my knowledge about it."

That was rather shocking to the new arrivals. Though, the members of the audience who had been present to watch the other universes before this one weren't as surprised by the news, but still, they too were taken aback by this.

"Yeah, I know. Roll with it." Alaric said with a dismissive wave.

"Am I a queen in any of these?" Nora asked Alaric. Fantasizing about all the things that queen versions of herself might be doing.

The Keeper was slow to answer her, but when he did, he said. "Yes, and let's leave it at that."

 **Tai rolled up the parchment and sealed it with a wax seal. A voice shouting from outside. "They're coming! They're coming back!"**

 **The ship Tai was onboard sudden shook, making the man stagger forward slightly. A navigational compass that rested on the table slid across the table, and fell over the side, but Tai was able to catch it in time with one hand. Tai took a moment to look at the compass, the needle spun constantly, but under the compass's cover was a miniature portrait of what looked like a boy version of a young Ruby.**

"So, that's his son?" Weiss commented, noticing the before mentioned resemblance he had to a picture of a young version of her partner.

"Actually, that's Ruby." Alaric cut in.

Ruby, needing a moment to process what Alaric said, went on to say. "What?"

"Yes. Rufous is his name." Alaric continued, heedless of the stunned look on the red-hooded girl's face. "That given name's shared with a few other male versions of you. Neat little thing to know, right?"

Ruby was not sure what to make of this version of her. Though her secret robot-girl friend, Penny, knew what she thought and gave Ruby another bone-crushing hug. "I think you'd make a pretty looking boy, friend Ruby!"

Yang, who would normally have teased her sister at what was going on, didn't tease Ruby. Devoting her concentration on watching the events onscreen and her mother.

 **Tai stashed the compass and his letter away and exited his cabin. A sword now strapped to his back.**

 **"All my life, I have lived by the sword." Tai continued to speak. Outside, he and the audience saw the large main deck of his ship. It was unlike any sail ship the audience had seen before. For it lacked the masts traditionally seen on a sail ship, and the deck had several cannons and two large turrets manned by men in full suits of steel plate armour, and wearing blue cloth scapulars over their torsos.**

"That's odd, where are the masts and the sails? Is this a vessel that relies solely on oarsmen or something else?" Oobleck questioned.

 **"I have seen kingdoms burn and watched brave heroes die in vain."**

 **Tai walked over to the side of his ship and looked down over the edge. The man onscreen and the audience did see the ocean, though it was some distance below them.**

"He's on an airship?" Kali, she and everyone else not really expecting that revelation.

"It's a gunship if you want to be more specific." Alaric added.

"Lord in Heaven! How is this possible?" Jeanne said as she looked on the flying ship. Salem too was amazed at what she saw, wondering whether or not this world was capable of magic, and if it was through magic that the gunship remained aloft.

Neptune, being ironically afraid of water, recoiled at the sight of the sea. His teammate and best friend, Sun, facepalmed at Neptune's reaction to water.

 **At the sea below Tai's gunship, the audience saw a fleet of traditional sail-driven sea vessels, all of them appearing to be warships. Tai and his fleet were headed for an enshrouding wall of the green clouds that were shown before. Green lightning flashed from with the clouds. From the sky fell several meteors that glowed the saw eerie green colour of the lightning within the clouds, and left behind black smoke-like trails behind them as they fell towards the fleet of ships.**

 **The camera changed again, this time to a view from just above the ocean surface. One of the sail-driven warships passed by, a green meteor just missing the vessel. Looking up, the camera focused on Taiyang's gunship. Its main structure resembled that of a sea warship, with the beforementioned lack of masts and sails. the lower hull was covered in armoured plates, at the front of the ship was a golden figurehead depicting an eagle's head with a pair of outspread wings protruding from its neck. And at the four corners of the gunship were four large propellers.**

"Holy-" Coco began. She and the rest of the audience had expected the gunship to look like that. Though it appeared to be not as fast their airships, the audience members from modern day Remnant were rather impressed by the sight of it.

Roman and Neo quietly wondered how much that figurehead was worth.

 **"It's been... difficult to trust after losing so much." Tai turned and looked over to the clouds at the left of his gunship.**

 **Breaking from the clouds, another airborne gunship appeared, drastically different in appearance to Tai's. This new gunship was far more intimidating in its design, for there were several jagged and spiked parts all over the vessel's exterior, and at the front of the ship was a figurehead depicting a wolf's head, a large cannon emerging from its mouth. It too was as well armed and armoured as Tai's, four cannons at the front of the ship and two at the back. A large engine at the back of the gunship propelled it forward, while two large air balloons attached to and above the gunship kept the vessel in the air.**

"That's a... that's a thing." Winter commented. Not really impressed with this new gunship, very much preferring the design of the one Tai was on.

 **The new gunship flew up beside Taiyang's, and standing on it was a female figure wearing a hood and holding onto a bow. The camera focused on this person, and a closer look at them revealed their features and their skin was a pale bluish-white colouration, her eyes were red, long white hair, and confusingly long eyebrows .** **Under her eyes, dark marks like that of tears could be seen.**

 **A quiver of arrows behind her right shoulder. The bow she held in hand was disturbingly not made of wood or metal, but of bones.** **She wore a raised dark red hood over her head, with form-fitting purple armour over her arms, shoulders, and legs. She wore an armoured brown corset and purple plates over her bust. Poking from the sides of her hood were pointed ears.**

 **This... woman looked over to Tai and sent a small smile at the man.** **The audience's reaction to the sight of her was a mix of emotion that ranged from outright revulsion to a rather shameful fascination. Part of that was because the woman was none other than Cinder Fall.**

"What the-?" Cinder whispered. This was the first time seeing herself up on the screen, and she hadn't expected to see herself looking like that. Though, she had to admit she did like the whole dark beauty that this other her had. It even reminded her slightly of her universe's Salem in how deathly she looked.

Weiss questioned the length of Cinder's eyebrows. "Dear lord, how do you get eyebrows like that? Why does she have eyebrows like that?"

"Are her ears pointed?" Salem asked. Alaric answering her.

"Yeah. Cinder Windrunner. She's an elf. Well, an undead one."

"Wait, undead?" Mercury blurted upon hearing Alaric.

"Yes, she's..." Alaric looked back at Mercury and started to speak, quickly looked into the young man's thoughts as he did. That was when he paused. The Keeper's gaze lingered on Mercury, his eyes narrowing, before saying. "You... Uh... You should be ashamed of yourself."

Cinder sent a searing glare at Mercury, guessing at what thoughts ran through his head. The young man carefully avoided Cinder's gaze, while Emerald smirked at his misfortune.

Other's in the audience who were thinking in a similar train of thought as Mercury, started to suppress whatever thoughts they were having about the undead elf version of Cinder that was onscreen.

 **"But from you, I have learned patience... tolerance... and faith."**

 **Tai returned the gesture with a small nod. He then reached over his shoulder with his right arm and pulled out his sword. The sword was unique in its design. The blade of the sword was split in two parts, one was longer and was attached to the hilt, while the other was shorter and remained separate from the rest of the sword but was still a part of it be strange means. A hollow space at the base of the blades was filled by a fiery light.**

Insert scene of Ruby squealing at sword here.

The new arrivals were rather amazed by Tai's sword. For Salem, this gave evidence to her thoughts that this universe used magic.

"I'm guessing those two usually don't get along like a house on fire?" Ghira asked Alaric.

"You can say that. If I remember correctly, their world, Azeroth, is more or less divided between two powerful factions. The Horde and the Alliance I believe is what they're called." Alaric answered, thumbing his masked chin as he tried to recall as much as he knew of the world. "Tai in this universe is the leader of the Alliance, while Cinder is the leader of a subfaction within the Horde."

"What are these subfactions? I'd like to know more." Cinder requested from Alaric, desiring to know more about this world and the power that Cinder held.

Alaric waved her off and replied. "We'll get to that if I show you another scene from this universe."

 **The scene changed again, and the combined fleet of the Horde and the Alliance were shown approached an island, a gigantic pillar of green light rising from a large structure on the island. Clouds gathered around the green light, as more meteors fell from the sky.**

 **Screeching sounds began to fill the air, and a swarm of bat-like creatures were spotted approaching the Alliance gunship.**

 **"OPEN FIRE!" The Taiyang onscreen ordered his soldiers with a commanding voice.**

 **As the bat creatures, larger than a man the audience noticed, attacked the gunship, the ship's two turrets and many broadside cannons answered the foul screeches of the bat-creatures with thunderous booms.**

"Finally, some action!" Nora said as she rubbed her hands excitedly.

 **A meteor came crashing towards the gunship and hit the flying vessel, shattering timbers into splinters and breaking through metal. The meteor had struck right below the left turret at the front of the gunship. Disabling the turret, and sending it falling to the off the gunship.**

 **From the area of the meteor's impact, green fire billowed and a large shape began to move. Suddenly, a roar was heard from the impact site. Tai turned to face what it was, and, rising from where the meteor had landed, a gigantic construct of stone and green fire emerged.**

"What the hell?" Raven quietly muttered to herself as she saw the thing rise.

"That's called an _Infernal_ , if I recall correctly." Alaric said, tilting his head slightly and looking to the ceiling in thought.

 **The thing rose one of its massive arms and brought it down on the main deck of the gunship as it climbed out of its crater of wood, metal and fire. The force of the impact unbalanced Tai, and he was sent over the side of the gunship. The king was able to grab stop himself from plummeting into the sea below by grabbing hold of the edge with his free hand, and struggled to clamber back onto the main deck.**

 **The monstrous creature rose its arm for another attack, but, an arrow, imbued with purple energy whistled through the air and hit the monster's arm. The arrow struck hard enough to interrupt the creature's attack. Tai, still trying to get back onto the deck of his ship, spared a moment to look where the arrow had come from.**

 **From behind him, aboard the main deck of the Horde gunship, Cinder stood there with her bow in hand and posing for a moment in the way an archer does after they have loosed an arrow.**

"Yaaay! Thank you Cinder!" Ruby thanked the Cinder in the audience in place of the one onscreen, and went on to give her a hug.

Cinder put on a fake smile, and, using every ounce of her willpower, replied to Ruby. "Haha. You're welcome, Ruby."

Mercury and Emerald, without anyone noticing, rolled their eyes at this. The two of them know what their master really thought and probably would have said and done.

 **The weight of the Infernal on the Alliance gunship weighted the vessel down, and the gunship was tilting to the side. One of its propellers was approaching where Cinder was currently stood.**

 **Thinking fast, Cinder grabbed hold of a piece of rigging made of rope and cut it below where she held with a bladed part of her bow, and she was launched into the air as the propeller blades slashed at where she had stood. The undead elf fired two more arrows at the Infernal's, hitting it's right arm, whilst in mid-air, and landed with a roll onto the main deck of the Alliance gunship.**

 **Getting on one knee, Cinder rose her bow again and loosed two more arrows at the Infernal as Taiyang charged at the monstrous creature of stone and fire with his sword in both hands. The Infernal brought it's left arm down at the king, but Tai answered it's struck with his sword, the blade tearing easily through the stone of the Infernal's arm, before striking it across its left chest.**

 **The Infernal howled and fell off the gunship...**

"That was pretty cool." Sun admitted, liking the action that happened just then.

 **… and right onto one of the gunship's propeller engines, destroying it.**

"Oh." The monkey faunus simply said as he saw that happen.

"Bugger." Velvet added.

"Well, that's unfortunate." Roman added. "Ah well. Shouldn't have watched where he was fighting."

Alaric chuckled at Roman's words as he remembered how Roman would die in a few of these universes, and whispered quietly to himself. "Yes. Yes he should have."

Neo heard him and looked at Alaric suspiciously. The Keeper noticed Neo was looking at him, so he looked back at her and pointed at the TV screen. Neo made an 'I've got my eyes on you' hand gesture before turning her head back towards the TV screen.

 **With the loss of one of its engines, the Alliance gunship began to plummet down from the sky and coming increasingly closer to the sea below with each passing second.**

 **The camera steadily focused on Tai's as he and the gunship neared the water. He stood there, grabbed hold of a piece of rigging and closed his eyes. The screen going dark for a second.**

 **Then, the scene changed to view from beneath the ocean surface.**

 **The once mighty gunship crashed into the sea, the bodies of its crew sinking with it. Tai's opened compass was also shown falling into the inky darkness of the ocean waters, the small portrait of a smiling Rufous disappearing with it as the screen faded to black.**

"That's not all, is it?" Oscar asked Alaric. The Keeper looked at his left wrist, pretending a watch was there and replied.

"Nope. Give it a moment."

Just as Alaric had said. A couple seconds later Tai's voice cut through the darkness and spoke once again.

 **"Rufous, I now believe as you do. That peace is the noblest aspiration."**

 **The black screen brightened, and the audience saw Tai in the water, his sword still in hand, his cape and pauldrons falling from his shoulders, and his other hand reaching desperately out towards the surface.**

 **His eyes remained closed, and he began to sink/ Tai seemed to have succumbed to his watery fate.**

 **"But to preserve it... you must be willing to fight!"**

 **Tai's eyes opened, his closed mouth opened to show his clenched teeth. A look of the utmost determination on his face as he rose up from the water.**

 **The scene changed again to Tai bursting from the water's surface and onto a rocky shore. With a roar, he somehow split his sword in two, revealing it to be two swords joined together, and charged forward.**

 **Tai got out of the water and leapt from a jagged rock, landing in front of one of the bat-creatures, which he promptly stabbed the shorter of his two swords into its chest. Turning, Tai proceeded to thrust both sword's into the underarm of a large humanoid creature with bluish-grey skin and spike armour.**

 **Another of these armoured creatures came up and swung its axe down at Tai. The king avoided the blow, and climbed onto its shoulder as he effortlessly stabbed one of his swords into its shoulder. Another of the bat-creatures swooped down at Tai, but he easily slew it with a fatal stab and threw its body away.**

 **In the background, standing on a rock, was Cinder. Firing away with her bow and arrows.**

 **"FOR AZEROTH!" The Tai onscreen bellowed as he leapt on another of the armoured enemy warrios. One more of the bluish-grey skinned warriors, flanked by two Infernals, came up to the camera and swung at it.**

 **The screen went dark as soon as the blade should have fallen.**

For a moment, the room was silent. This silence was broken, however, when Nora suddenly said. "Why do I have a sudden urge to charge an army and shout, 'For Azeroth' after seeing that last part?"

Ren turned his head towards his best friend and said. "Nora. You always feel like charging an army."

Nora took a moment before she realized the truth behind Ren's words before saying. "Oh yeah. But I've never shouted 'FOR AZEROTH' before."

Jeanne turned to Jaune and said. "You friend is quite the character."

"You have no idea." Jaune said, shuddering slightly as he remembered all the antics Nora got into, and would often include her team in.

Alaric turned to face the newcomers and asked them. "Well? What do you think?"

"It was most certainly interesting to watch." Ghira responded. His wife nodding in agreement with her husband's words.

"It was something." Raven said, keeping her thoughts close to her. Tai, Qrow, and Yang narrowed their eyes at her when she gave her response. Alaric, deciding that was as good an answer he was going to get from Raven, shrugged, and looked to Jeanne and Salem.

"You?"

"It was... different from everything I've known." Jeanne responded.

Salem decided not to give an answer, but posed her own question. "Does that world have magic?"

"Yes indeed, milady." Alaric nodded his head to Salem and continued. "Though, I'm sure it's different from your world's."

"Your world has magic?" Pyrrha curiously asked Salem.

The blonde woman turned to Pyrrha and said. "Yours doesn't?"

* * *

 **There we go. Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading tha-**

 _Hello Readers!_

 **What the?**

 _It's me, Norapool!_

 **Norapool?! Get out of here!**

 _Nah ah. I ain't leaving until you do a chapter where these little shits react to my sexy, fantabulous ass._

 **Fantabulous is a word?**

 _I don't know. Is it?_

 **Get out!**

 _Make me! And who chooses a name like 'Reticent Phoenix'? That sounds like the kind of name a-_

 **Shouldn't you be stuffing pancakes into that semi-digested avocado you call a face?**

 _I was before I came over here. Hehe, came._

 **Just get out! I'll start working on your chapter after I've done a few others.**

 _ **What about me?**_

 **What the? Draigo, g-**

 ** _I, Kaldor Draigo of the Ordo Dragio, demand you make a Warhammer chapter, little gnome._**

 **I'm not a gnome.**

 _ **Then why is there grass coming out of my ears?!**_

 **What? There isn't-**

 ** _Farewell, I'm late for tea time with Skarbrand. Tally ho!_**

 _I gotta go too. My wee little Ren-bear is waiting for me back home. See ya!_

 **...**

 **That was... a thing that happened.**

 **Anyway,** **I kind of wanted to use Ghira as Varian Wyrnn, but that would mean making Blake Anduin. And I didn't see working. Decided on Tai, because the guy needs some love right now, in my opinion at least.**

 **Also thought of portraying Salem as Sylvanas, but decided against it.**

 **If I ever do another chapter about World of Warcraft, I'll probably do the Battle of Azeroth cinematic trailer. That'd be pretty cool, right?**

 **Anyway. I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	17. Les Miserables: One Day More

**A bit of a short one this. I intend the next one to be a big one. Or at least be longer than this.**

 **Hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

 **Les Miserables: One Day More**

"Yours doesn't?" Salem questioned Pyrrha.

The red-haired girl shook her head and replied. "We don't. So, you can do magic?"

"Why yes. Everyone on my world can perform magic. It was a gift from the Gods themselves." Salem continued. This information was highly intriguing to the audience. And greatly terrified Ozpin.

Salem, or at least a past version of her, was not only causing him a great deal of emotional turmoil inside. She could also expose the rest of the audience to the truth of Remnant. Of magic, the Gods of Light and Dark, and the Grimm.

A few others in the audience had more questions for the blonde woman, wanting to hear the perspective of a person who actually lived in a world where people who could perform magic. But Alaric stepped in before more could be said.

"Interesting to know, but, I'd like to move please." The Keeper then began to start pressing the buttons of his remote. "By the way, has anyone seen Chibi Ruby? I don't think I saw her throughout the duration of the previous universe's screening."

"I'm right here!" The voice of the diminutive version of Ruby shouted from her place on Team RWBY's couch. She was, understandably, miffed at how the audience, and the author truthfully, had seemingly forgotten that she was in the audience in the first place.

So annoyed was Chibi Ruby, she tried punching her taller counterpart, but her blows were ineffectual and she tired out quickly. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she tried punching Ruby again, but became exhausted even faster, giving up after that. The audience found the scene to have been adorable, while Alaric was reminded of a little dragon who had tried the same thing to someone taller than her.

"We're sorry!" Ruby apologized, kind of sounding like Pyrrha in the way she said that. "Don't worry. From this point on, we won't forget you. Promise."

Chibi Ruby looked up at the rest of the audience before sitting back down and saying. "Okay."

Fox, curious of what the Keeper planned to show to them this time around, turned to face the white-masked Keeper and asked him. "So what next?"

"Well, I hope you will find this to be a very interesting. This universe can... oh, just give me a moment." Alaric paused and started to inhale and exhale deeply behind his mask. When he next spoke, his voice had taken a surprisingly sad tone, and the Keeper sounded like he was fighting back tears. "Don't think about it. Don't think about."

"Are you... about to cry?" Blake asked Alaric.

Alaric snapped his head towards Blake and quickly replied. "What?! No no no no no no no. I'm not about to cry. Hehehehe"

Despite the Keeper's objections, it was obvious to the audience that he was.

"You're really about to cry." A voice said from behind the audience.

Everyone jumped to their feet in alarm. Turning to see who it was, the audience saw that it was in fact Talos, Alaric's bronze automaton assistant.

"For the love of... Talos! Don't do that!" Alaric yelled condescendingly at the automaton. "Right. Did you find anything unusual?"

Talos shook his head and replied. "No master. The Varangians and I found nothing unusual within the Repository. The source of this unexpected occurrence may be external. I have the Varangians still on sentry duty, in case anything does appear."

Alaric thumbed his chin and hummed thoughtfully.

As the Keeper was thinking, Talos asked him a question. "Do you desire your comfort bear or comfort pillow, master? Watching this branch of universes often brings you to tears. Especially when Valjean-"

"Not another word, Talos." Alaric commanded the automaton. He sent a look towards the audience, wordlessly telling them to not say anything about what they had heard. "Right. Further your investigation, this time outside our Repository. If necessary, or if combat is unavoidable, use any of your modules."

Talos silently nodded once in response before dematerializing. Alaric sat back down on his seat, and let out a loud sigh.

"You have a comfort bear?" Mercury said to the Keeper in a snarky manner.

"Shut up and sit down!" Alaric snapped at Mercury. A strong force suddenly pulling the audience back down to their seats.

As they returned to their seats, the TV screen turned on and the scene began to play.

 **The screen showed a horse-drawn carriage travelling through a city at night. Looking closely through one of its windows the audience saw Qrow Branwen. The setting of this universe seemed to be another pre-Great War era, at least a century before it happened.**

 **As they were about to speak, Qrow opened his mouth and began to, much to their surprise, sing.**

 _ **One day more**_

 ** _Another day, another destiny_**

 ** _This never-ending road to Calvary_**

 ** _These men who seem to know my crime_**

 ** _Will surely come a second time_**

 ** _One day more_**

Tai, Ruby, Chibi Ruby, Yang, Raven, and the others who personally knew Qrow were rather taken aback by not only the fact that he was singing, but also because this Qrow didn't have a bad singing voice. Then again, this Qrow sounded as if he were sober.

Qrow himself did not know what to make of this. He hadn't sung since his voice broke when puberty came knocking on his door. Well, if the accounts of others could be trusted, he did sing, only when he was very very drunk. And not too well apparently. But this Qrow had a decent singing voice.

 **A quick scene change saw an older Oscar, in his mid-twenties at most, run up to the front door of a house and urgently knock on it. Receiving no answer, and seeing no signs of anyone living inside, Oscar too began to sing.**

 _ **I did not live until today**_

 _ **How can I live when we are parted?**_

"Is this a world where people sing instead of speak normally?" Weiss asked. Alaric gave no answer, the Keeper appeared to be rather fixated on the screen right now.

Oscar felt rather mixed about this. He, like Qrow, never thought of himself as someone who sang this way. Sure he hummed a tune or two while he worked in the farm, but, never something like this. This version of himself also seemed to be in love with someone. So yeah, you can understand why he felt a bit weird about this.

 **Cut back to Qrow's carriage, he sung three words.**

 _ **One day more**_

 **Sat beside Qrow, looking out the other window of the carriage, was a young woman no one but Ozpin, his inner circle, and Cinder's group had seen before. She had tanned skin, and brown hair and eyes. She and Oscar began to sing together.**

 ** _Tomorrow you'll be worlds away_**

 ** _And yet with you, my world has started_**

Oscar, the Beacon students, Winter, and a few others did not recognize the girl.

"Who's that?" Pyrrha asked.

"Eh, a random someone from your world. No one special." Alaric lied, shooting Ozpin and Cinder's groups a look.

Ozpin, and Qrow, were absolutely freaking out right now. It was Amber Autumn. Amber! The Fall Maiden! Seeing her up and walking was a shocker. Not only to them, but to Cinder herself, the woman who had stolen half of Amber's powers.

Over by Salem, she felt something about this girl. It was odd, and incredibly faint to the point that it was barely noticeable. As if the two were hundreds of kilometres apart, yet connected by a thin length of string. The same, for some strange reason, went for Ozpin, and the girl named Cinder.

 **The audience now saw Blake in a dirty poorly lit room. She was tightly wrapping some cloth around her chest, though it didn't appear to be to bandage any injuries she may have, or for simple modesty. The cat faunus, for she was still one in this universe, also began to sing.**

 ** _One more day all on my own_**

Blake, her parents, and her friends were also surprised by Blake also adding to this song. The cat faunus never looked like someone that would ever sing. Being renowned as being one of the most quiet individuals in Beacon, alongside Ren, Fox, and Yatsuhashi. She wasn't really complaining however, and decided to continue watching.

 **Oscar & Autumn: _Will we ever meet again?_**

 **Blake: _One more day of him not caring_**

 **O &A: _I was born to be with you_**

 **B: _What a life I could have known_**

 **O &A: And _I swear I will be true_**

 **Blake reached over to a bundle of clothes that lay on the floor and picked up a hat. She placed it upon her head, covering her cat ears and sang.**

 ** _But he never saw me there_**

"I'm sensing there's a love triangle here going on here." Yang whispered to Blake, taking a break from keeping an eye on her mother to say that to her partner. Blake, not really amused by Yang's words, and gave her a blank look.

 **Another scene change, and the audience were now presented with the scene outside of a students' café. Out walked Fox, singing and gathering together a crowd into the café.**

"Huh, not bad Fox." Coco remarked to her white-eyed teammate. The boy simply nodded in response. The others in Fox's team giving him a pat on the back, in Yatsuhashi's case, and a pat on his shoulder from Velvet.

"You've got a good singing voice in this universe Fox." Velvet said to Fox.

"Yes, maybe you should quit being a Huntsman and pursue a musical career." Yatsuhashi joked, prompting chuckles from Coco, Fox, and Velvet.

Jeanne, seeing Fox's eyes, looked to her male counterpart beside her and asked him. "Pardon me for asking, but, is he... blind?"

"Y'know, I've never asked." Jaune replied.

 **Fox: One _more day before the storm_**

 **O: _Do I follow where she goes?_**

 **F: _At the barricades of freedom_**

 **O: _Shall I join my brothers there?_**

 **F: _When our ranks begin to form_**

 **O: _Do I stay or do I dare?_**

 **F: _Will you take your place with me?_**

 **The crowd who had gathered inside the ground floor of the also began to sing with the students.**

 ** _The time is now, the day is here_**

The audience were intrigued by what was going on. And those close to or knew them, wondered what exactly it was that Fox and Oscar had gotten themselves into.

 **Q: One _day more_**

 **Ironwood was now onscreen, he wore a more ornate uniform and was addressing some soldiers and officers.**

 **Ironwood: _One day more to revolution_**

 _ **We will nip it in the bud**_

 _ **We'll be ready for these schoolboys**_

 _ **They will wet themselves with blood**_

The lines of the Ironwood on screen rose quite a fair few eyebrows in the audience.

Seeing this, Ironwood stated to the rest of the audience. "I assure you, I would never be so heavy-handed."

"Really? Well, I heard you flew three fully-manned, and well-armed Altesian Airships into Vale." Qrow pointed out.

"The general believes a show of our strength can make certain people think twice before they try anything in Vale." Winter spoke up in defense of her superior's actions. Qrow, Roman, Neo, and even Raven, rolled their eyes at Winter's words.

Meanwhile, Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury shared a look between each other. Winter's words couldn't be farther from the truth.

 **Q:** _ **One day more**_

 **Another scene change, and on screen were Kali and Ghira in the same students' café as Fox. This Ghira looked less muscular than his counterpart in the audience. Both of them looked very seedy.**

 **Ghira:** _ **Watch 'em run amok**_

 **Kali:** _ **Catch 'em as they fall**_

 **G &K: _Never know your luck when there's a free for all_**

 **G: _Here's a little dip_**

 **K: _There a little touch_**

 **G &K: _Most of them are goners, so they won't miss much_**

The Ghira and Kali in the audience were happy to see they were together in this universe, However, they weren't happy with this version of themselves when they saw the pair onscreen steal a man's pistol as he passed them by, and their lines obviously indicated that they were criminals or at the least very disreputable folk.

Emerald, Roman and Neo, being thieves and professional criminals, were a bit impressed with how the couple were able to nick the man's gun without his or anyone else's notice.

 **On the first floor of the café, students were loading musket rifles whilst singing with the crowd downstairs, who were melting down various metal objects to make into bullets. Among the students were people a few people they recognized, namely Yatsuhashi, Neptune, the two other members of team SSSN, Sage and Scarlet, and even team CRDL. And a child version of Sun.**

 _ **One day to a new beginning**_

 _ **Raise the flag of freedom high**_

 _ **Every man will be a king**_

 _ **Every man will be a king**_

 _ **There's a new world for the winning**_

 _ **There's a new world to be won**_

 _ **Do you hear the people sing?**_

 **Oscar climbed up the stairs leading to the second floor, a red flag in his hand and sang.**

 ** _My place is here_**

 ** _I fight with you_**

 **Qrow and Amber's carriage stopped outside a new house, the man hastily leading the young woman into it, his eyes darting around cautiously. Ironwood stood before the soldiers, still addressing/singing to them. Blake watched the busy café from around a street corner. Kali and Ghira were picking a few bits and bobs from the crowd inside the café. The students in the café rallied a crowd that filled the streets around their café, people waving red, white and blue flags from windows.**

 **All of them were still singing, plenty of them singing over each other.**

 **Q: _One day more_**

 **O &A: _I did not live until today_ /I: _We will join these people's heroes_ /G&K: Watch 'em run amok**

 **B: _One more day all on my own_ /I: _We will follow where they go_ /G&K: Catch 'em as they fall**

 **O &A: _How can I live when we are parted_ /I: _We will learn their little secrets_ /G&K: Never know your luck when there's a free for all**

 **I: _We will know the things they know_**

 **Q: One day more**

 **O &A: Tomorrow you'll be words away/I: _One more day to revolution_ /G: _Here's a little dip_**

 **B: _What a world I might have known_ /I: We will nip it in the bud/K: There a little touch**

 **O &A: _And yet with you my world has started_ /I: _We'll be ready for these schoolboys_ /G&K: Most of them are goners, so they won't miss much**

 **Q: _Tomorrow we'll be far away_**

 ** _Tomorrow is the judgement day_**

 **All: _Tomorrow we'll discover what our God in heaven has in store_**

 _ **One more dawn**_

 _ **One more day**_

 _ **One day more**_

 **The screen faded to black.**

Alaric stretched his arms, and asked the audience. "What do you think?"

"It was very full of emotion I must say." Glynda remarked, several others in the audience agreed with her.

"Kind of reminded me of a musical." Chibi Ruby piped up. Determined to not be forgotten by the taller members of audience.

Raven looked towards Qrow from the other side of the audience and said to him. "This version of you isn't a half-bad singer, Qrow. Certainly sounds better then when you sang in the showers in Beacon."

Qrow glared at Raven, but decided not to react. Ruby and Yang, snickered a little at the mention that their drunkle used to sing whilst taking a shower. Well, at least Raven finally said something to them. But they, especially Yang, wanted her to speak to them some more, and wanted Alaric to move her closer to them and Tai.

"Hey. Do they always sing in this universe?" Neptune added.

Alaric shook his head and replied. "No. There are periods where they do speak normally. Can you imagine the only way you could communicate being through song? Ugh, that would be horrendous to your vocal cords."

"So, why does this universe make you cry?" prior question.

The Keeper was silent, the eyes behind his mask were set in a distant look. For a while, it appeared that he was locked in a trancelike state, but he recovered after a bit. Alaric picked up his remote and started to ready the next universe. Simply saying in response.

"I'll show you why when I show you more of this universe. Not now though, there are other things I want to show you."

* * *

 **Right, we'll come back to the Les Miserables universe some tome later. But before I go, let me pose you a question.**

 **Would you get into a brawl for a half-priced bento?**

 **That's all for now. I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	18. Ben-To

**Author's Note:**

 **Before we get into this new chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse, I have this important notice to give.**

 **This fanfic is not centred around Jaune. As such, I ask that there be no more requests for universes where Jaune is the main character. From this point on, I will only accept requests where Jaune is a secondary character. Henceforth, any requests after this chapter has been released where Jaune is the main character I will ignore without a second thought. If for any reason anyone disagrees with this decision, I am sorry, but this will be how things are now and nothing will change my mind on this issue.**

 **I made my thoughts and personal feelings on Jaune Arc clear before. I do not hate him, and I hold no ill will towards anyone who like and requests him. I simply believe he is overused in this type of fanfiction, and intend to use him as little as possible in this fanfiction of mine.**

 **With that out of the way, let's get to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Ben-To**

 **The TV screen in front of the audience turned on, and the audience were greeted with a rather normal scene.**

 **They saw a shop, still open in the early hours of the evening, with customers going about their business. Going through the store's wares and buying what they wanted or needed. Music playing from speakers in the background. It was, as was said before, rather normal. Quite the change of pace for the audience after all the previous universes they'd seen previously.**

But, after all the crazy stuff they'd seen, they weren't letting their guard down. And half expected a giant monster to crush the store underfoot, a sudden alien invasion, that they were all wizards, and etc.

 **The camera soon focused on a pair of students in uniform walking down the aisles of the shop. They looked about the age of first year huntsmen-in-training, though, they could be younger. However, that didn't stop the audience from recognising just who they were.**

 **The tallest of the two students was Mercury Black. He sported grey hair, and wore a dark-blue jacket and pants, with black shoes, a white top, and a purple tie. A white bandage was wrapped around his forehead, and a band-aid above his left eye.**

 **Behind him, was Velvet Scarletina. There wasn't much physically different about this Velvet, apart from the fact she wore thin-rimmed glasses and was shorter than Mercury and her counterpart in the audience. She wore a white blouse, a black skirt, and wore a backpack.**

"Why am I not surprised you're wearing a bandage." Emerald smuggly remarked when she saw the state of the Mercury onscreen.

"Oh my god! Velvet, just look at you! You're so adorable!" Coco exclaimed at the sight of Velvet.

The words of the previous two, obviously, had an effect on the two people in the audience that their words were directed at. Mercury frowned at Emerald, and planned to get back at her somehow. Meanwhile, Velvet had hidden her face in her hands, preparing for the teasing that would come.

"Aw, don't worry Velvet. I'm not gonna tease you." Coco assured her teammate. Velvet pulled her hands away from her face, looked at her team leader, and asked.

"Really?"

"Not yet anyway." Coco replied, earning an annoyed groan from the rabbit faunus. The fashionista didn't have to wait long for an opportunity to do so. For the Velvet on the TV screen said, with an excited voice.

 **"Oh, how I love the smell of hunky men!"**

The audience were shocked to say the least by the words that left that Velvet's mouth. Those who did not know Velvet personally had not anticipated someone who looked like that to say something so... crass. Those who did know Velvet were taken aback by how not Velvet her words were.

Velvet, the one in the audience, had her face back into the palm of her hands and entered a foetal position on Team CFVY's couch. Those who had seen her face before she hid it, saw that it was redder than a tomato.

Coco, saw a chance to tease her rabbit faunus teammate, but thought against it. She could bring it up later, but not now. Maybe Coco should have told Mercury, or maybe the boy should have been more educated in the ways of timing, for he looked over to Team CFVY's couch and said. "Like the smell of 'hunky men', eh? Maybe that's why she's hanging out with m-"

Mercury didn't finish that sentence, for, bursting from her foetal position, Velvet threw a can of diced tomatoes at Mercury's face with as much force as her Aura-augmented body could must. The can of diced tomatoes hurtled through the air and struck Mercury in the forehead, his Aura protecting him, but the impact knocked him out for a bit.

"Where'd that can of tomatoes come from?" Oscar questioned. He instantly remembered that the audience was in the same room as Alaric, and must have summoned the can into Velvet's hand, and the girl, seeing a means to silence the young man, threw it at Mercury. The Keeper, alongside Emerald and Roman, was now laughing at Mercury's suffering, it seemed he was back to his usual self. For better or worse.

 **The screen focused on Mercury, his thoughts being projected aloud thanks to unknown means.**

 _ **'Last time, the bento I wanted happened to be half price. Bad luck on my part. The moment I set my sight on that half-priced bento, the entire store went insane, as if someone ignited nitroglycerin.'**_

"'Bento'?" Both Ruby and Chibi Ruby asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"It's like single-portion lunchbox." Ren explained for the red-hooded girl. "Plenty of shops in the towns and cities of eastern Anima sell them."

 **As two walked through the aisles of the shop, the camera would focus on a few other shoppers that the two passed by. There was a bald guy, a guy with a red headband and a goatee, and a brunette girl whose eyes were hidden by her hair.**

 **Velvet turned and locked eyes with a tall, muscular adult with dark hair and lightly tanned skin. The man let out a half inquisitive, half threatening hum. The rabbit faunus let out an alarmed squeak, and her knees fell under her. Mercury rushed over to Velvet and caught. The girl looked at Mercury said. "No, I'm fine. I'm made of stronger stuff then that."**

Velvet was not so sure about that, and the version of her onscreen appeared to be displaying a measure of social anxiety around people she didn't know. Something that she herself experience for a time.

Others were less focused on Velvet and on the people the two had passed by. The bald guy Sun and Neptune recognized to be a bald version of another student from Haven Academy called Bolin Hori, though they couldn't say they knew the guy. The guy with the goatee and red bandana Teams RWBY and JNPR recognized to be none other than Dove Bronzewing, the guy was a member of Team CRDL, but like the rest of the team apart from Cardin, he was actually easily forgettable and none of them really knew him. Blake recognized the brunette girl was her old friend from the White Fang, Illia, though, this version of her let her hair fall freely past her shoulders and was more... developed in the chest region. It hurt Blake a bit to see her old friend again.

 **Velvet, realizing one of Mercury's hands was brushing against the hand she was using to hold the left strap of her backpack, gasped then pushed him away, saying. "I'm sorry! I got your hand dirty."**

 **The rabbit faunus took out some disinfectant wet-wipes from her bag and wiped the area where their skin made contact. Mercury saying to Velvet as she did this. "Well, it's not like it's..."**

 **From a low angle view from a small distance behind Mercury and Velvet, a pair of legs wearing dark tights entered the screen before walking away off screen. Mercury, hearing the footsteps, turned out but saw no one there. The boy looked on the spot where the person had stood for a moment, and whispered to himself and Velvet. "The Ice Witch."**

The Mercury in the audience recovered from the blow he suffered from the can thrown by Velvet. Looking around, he rubbed the spot the can hit him and asked with a groan. "Ugh, what I miss?"

"Nothing much." Emerald replied.

"Why is Ms Scarletina wiping Mr Black's hand?" Oobleck questioned.

"This Velvet was bullied, receiving plenty of verbal abuse of being infectious. So, she's developed a habit of wiping people's hands when they touch her." Alaric explained. Velvet's face fell a little at this, it seemed even other versions of her suffered from bullies.

"But who was that? Y'know, the girl Mercury called 'The Ice Witch'?"

"I have an idea." Blake answered as she looked towards Weiss. Others from Beacon also looked towards the Schnee Heiress, while Qrow looked towards Winter. The two Schnee siblings noticed this and yelled in annoyance. "Hey!"

 **The two students looked towards the far end of the shop, where they saw bento boxes on display.**

 **"What's your target?" Mercury asked Velvet. The smaller girl replying not a moment later.**

 **"'Let Out Some Sweat! Bring Our That Odour! Super Spicy Hamburger Bento'!"**

 **Mercury hummed affirmatively and announced his own target. "Then I'll go for the 'Sticky! Natto and Okra Cheese Smothered Rice Bento'!"**

"Is that really the name of... bento boxes?" Salem queried.

Alaric shrugged and said in response. "I don't know. I've never tried a bento before."

That was when the audience noticed something peculiar. Mercury and Velvet had not gone over to the bento display and were pretending to browse at the goods in a glass container.

"Uh, why aren't they going over to get those bento they said they wanted?" Sun questioned.

"Give it a moment." Alaric responded. Some of the others in the audience had a mild inclining as to why the two were waiting.

 **A door beside the bento display opened, revealing the tall and muscular form of an older Yatsuhashi Daichi. He wore a striped green and red shirt, blue pants, and a pale yellow apron. He walked to the front of the bento display and began to do something with the bento boxes.**

 **Several cuts to scenes of different shop goers, including Mercury and Velvet, showed them looking on as Yatsuhashi went about his business. The air became thick with anticipation as the shop goers who looked on Yatsuhashi appeared to be readying themselves for battle.**

"What is going on?" Jeanne d'Arc questioned. She had been amazed by the sight of the goods readily available in the shop, but this confused her. She'd seen some of the expressions on the shoppers' faces on soldiers about to collide with the enemies front.

Plenty of the adults recognized what was going on, but it was Coco who voiced what she and the adults knew was happening. Her voice so low and soft that it was almost a whisper. "A sale."

 **Sure enough, the camera focused on one bento as Yatsuhashi placed a noticeable red sticker onto it. The sticker read, in bold red text, _'Half Off the sticker price'_."**

"Oh boy." Tai blurted aloud.

 **Yatsuhashi, his business done, left the display. He was halfway through the door he had come through when he stopped and turned his head so his right eye could look at the shoppers who still stood where they were. The shoppers who planted to buy a bento looked back at Yatsuhashi, waiting for him to pass through the doors.**

"Why aren't they going for it?" Nora questioned. A moment later, she received a smack on the back of her head with a rolled up newspaper from Alaric. "What was that for?!"

"Tch, dishonourable boar!" Keeper Alaric snapped at her, giving no explanation as to why.

 **Yatsuhashi turned his head and passed through the doors. As soon as it closed behind him, chaos erupted amongst the shoppers.**

 **"It begins!" Mercury muttered to himself as he watched the chaos.**

 **At least a dozen shoppers, full grown adults and teenage students leapt towards the bento display like hungry wolves. The teeth of the shoppers were bared, their eyes glowing with a yellow light, and their grasping hands reached for their prize.** **The half-price bento.**

"What the crap?!" Qrow swore as he watched the shoppers lunging forwards at the bento. Plenty in the audience finding it easy to compare the shoppers to Beowulves.

 **"Your head! Protect your head!" Mercury called out to Velvet as even more shoppers leapt past him, his arms raised to protect his face.**

 **The grey-haired boy's warning proved too late, as a shopper knocked Velvet aside. Sending the rabbit faunus to the ground.**

 **"See, I told you!" Mercury lightly berated Velvet as she lay on the floor.**

"Hey!" Velvet yelled at the TV screen. She, and a few others in the audience, were pissed at how someone had the audacity to knock aside this small and, admittedly, adorable version of Velvet. Well, more adorable, I feel I should say.

 **Velvet recovered quickly, sitting up in a flash and shouting at one of the shoppers. "You're gonna die, Brunette!"**

The audience were unsure whether Velvet had said that as a threat or if she meant it as a warning.

 **Brunette, or Ila as she really was, charged forward towards the bento display. But, she was impeded by other shoppers.**

 **Without a second thought, she delivered a palm strike to a shopper's chest, sending him offscreen. A second shopper tried to uppercut Brunette, but she dodged their strike and retaliated with an uppercut of her own. Her attack connected, and the shopper was also sent off screen. This had happened in a matter of seconds, Brunette a blue of motion almost to fast for the audience's eyes to track.**

 **She was close to her prize, so she jumped at the bento display, an outstretched hand nearing one of the half-price bento. Suddenly, a leg shot out, and knocked Brunette off her feet and to the ground.**

The audience were surprised by how the whole situation had erupted into absolutely chaotic violence.

A few members in the audience, such as Nora, Ren, and Blake, slightly understood some of the reasoning why the shoppers were fighting each other. Having struggled at times to get food of their own. But this was on a whole other level to what they could have imagined.

"Well, at least it's not as destructive as that food fight we had." Pyrrha chirped.

"Indeed. There are few ways in which your food fight with team RWBY could have gotten any more chaotic. The whole school could have gotten involved. That would be something." Alaric added. That made a slight shudder go up the spines of the Beacon students. The cafeteria would have been demolished if the entire student body of Beacon joined in the food fight between team RWBY and JNPR.

And if it had, there was no way Ozpin could have stopped Professor Goodwitch from punishing the whole lot of them.

 **Back onscreen, Mercury stood in the background, watching as the shoppers fought one another.**

 _ **'I see.'**_ **Mercury's thoughts once again been projected into audio. _'These are Wolves. How could so many people turn into savage wolves the moment the half-price sticker is applied?'_**

"That's what we're wondering." Ironwood remarked. The shoppers, though civilians, fought with not only the savage spirit of wolves, but also with hand-to-hand combat skills that rivaled or even outclassed Altesian Soldiers.

 **The bald guy, Bolin, was knocked out of the area where the fighting was thickest and was nursing his head. Velvet stood over him, and yelled at him. "Get up, you gotta get up there and fight, Monk!"**

 **Bolin, or as Velvet had dubbed him, Monk, heard the rabbit faunus and said. "Damn! You're right!"**

 **Monk got back onto his feet and flung himself back into the fray, desperately fighting the other Wolves. Strangely, Velvet watched Monk go and, with an excited voice and an excited look on her face, squealed to herself. "He listened to me! So cool!"**

 **Through all the fighting, none had touched any of the half-price bento yet. Mercury set his eyes on one of these half-price bento, the red and yellow sticker standing out amidst the chaos like a drowning person in a swimming pool. Steeling himself, and motived by a desire to cease the hungry grumblings of his stomach, Mercury ran forward and joined the fight for half-price bento.**

 **Velvet, being a _supportive_ friend to Mercury, muttered aloud to herself. "Go, Mercury! Don't die! But, if you do, I'll weep at your funeral!"**

"Okay, this Velvet is super cute, but, she weirds me out." Coco declared to the rest of the audience. Plenty of the audience agreed with the team leader of Team CFVY, while the rabbit herself let out an irritated groan.

Mercury on the other hand was a bit more optimistic and said to all present. "Haha, time for me to be a badass!"

 **Mercury took a punch to his right cheek from a guy in a green shirt. The two began to fight each other, the Wolf in green dodged a punch thrown from Mercury, going on to deliver a roundhouse kick to the same cheek he had punched Mercury, following that up the kick with a punch to Mercury's left cheek.**

"Yeah, you sure are a real badass, kid." Roman sarcastically sneered at Mercury as they watched the grey-haired boy onscreen get his ass handed to him. This was only the beginning of the pain that would be dealt to Mercury, for there was a lot more to come.

 **Standing at the sidelines, and not participating in the fighting, Velvet looked on enraptured by the scene playing out in front of her.**

 **"Wh-What is this? Mercury, behind you!" Velvet cried out loudly to Mercury. She was too late, for a man in a red coat shoulder-charged Mercury from behind, sending him stumbling uncontrollably forward. And right towards the knee of another of the Wolves. As the distance between Mercury and the knee became smaller, and the chances of his nose being broken rising higher, another of the Wolves leapt in between Mercury and the other Wolf's knee.**

 **A look of recognition flashed across Mercury's face, the camera focusing on the ice-blue eye of this new Wolf as they spoke to him with a cold voice. "I told you, don't come here."**

"Weiss?!" Ruby, Blake, Yang, Jaune, and Winter shouted in surprise.

 **Weiss kicked the Wolf ready to knee Mercury away, and went on to perform an spectacular display of delivering kicks of her boot to the faces of two other Wolves in a gracefully agile manner. Using the second Wolf she struck to launch herself into the air.**

 **"The Ice Witch!" Someone yelled.**

 **Time seemed to slow for a moment, allowing the camera to catch a view of Weiss as she remained suspended in the air in an awe-inspiring pose. This version of Weiss had her hair cut shoulder-length. She wore a school uniform alike to Velvet's though, she wore some tights and a yellow sweater.**

 **"You've got to be kidding me! She's the Ice Witch?!" Mercury said to himself as he looked on Weiss. "Then what she said back then..."**

 **Time resumed its course as he spoke, and Weiss began to descend back into the fight below her. Mercury and Weiss locked eyes, and the white-haired girl was heard to say one word. "Idiot."**

 **Weiss landed in a circle of Wolves. One Wolf, a man taller and more muscular than her, charged at Weiss. But she punched him with a swing of her right arm, and sent him crashing to the floor. A another wolf, a young man in a blue and black striped sweater, attempted to sneak up on Weiss, but she jumped into the air and kicked him in the face. Sending him to the floor as well.**

Much of the audience were dumbstruck by this version of Weiss.

"This version of you is..." Blake tried to find words to describe the Weiss onscreen, but couldn't.

Winter too was struggling to figure out what she thought of this alternate version of her younger, and only, sister. She was impressive, and seemingly without peer amongst these 'Wolves', as these violent shoppers had been called. But, if she too was fighting, then that meant she too was a 'Wolf', and Winter was not really sure what to think of them.

Weiss, well, her mind was blown. The Weiss onscreen was unstoppable, she was plowing through her enemies as if they were chaff. And she did so with such poise and strength, Weiss had to admit that she was jealous of herself. She, and a few others, compared this Weiss to Pyrrha. However, Weiss was displeased with the apparent nickname this other version of her possessed.

"Ugh, 'Ice Witch?' Why do they call me-?" Weiss was interrupted when Alaric spoke again.

"'Ice Witch?' Well, during a brawl, that Weiss accidentally tried to buy some alcohol called 'Ice'. She was stopped thankfully, but, she got the name 'Ice Witch' because of it."

Okay, there went the whole absolutely perfect image that Weiss had of the Weiss onscreen. But, she was still amazing. So Weiss decided to overlook the nickname and its origins, and kept watching.

 **Weiss had beaten another Wolf to the ground when one more challenger stepped forth. This Wolf was _huge_ , he probably stood as tall or taller than Yatsuhashi, he was wider than Professor Port, and wore a purple hoodie.**

 **The hoodie-wearing Wolf swung repeatedly at Weiss, but the girl was able to dodge every one of his punches. Then, the large Wolf punched at Weiss with all the strength that he could muster, but, his attack was stopped when Weiss used the sole of her right boot to block his punch. A small shockwave rippled through the air as the fist and boot collided with one another.**

 **Weiss, in an incredible display of strength, pushed her right leg forward and sent the hoodie-wearing Wolf flying into some other Wolves who had been watching the short confrontation between the two. More Wolves leapt at Weiss, but she threw them aside with ease.**

"Holy-" Port spluttered, amazed by the skill and strength demonstrated by Weiss.

The audience had to keep reminding themselves that these people had no Aura, but had a physical endurance and even agility that rivalled that of Huntsmen. Some even wondered how they would fare if they fought against these people, particularly if they fought without their Aura.

Weiss looked on with stars in her eyes. This alternate version of herself, the Ice Witch, was magnificent!

 **Mercury, seeing a chance to steal away with the half-price bento he desired, sprinted forward. His hands were so close, maybe ten centimetres away, when Monk burst forward and punched him hard in the stomach. So hard that he was flung offscreen.**

 **By coincidence, Monk sent Mercury towards Brunette, who uppercutted the boy into the air.**

 **As he began to falling from the air and back to the ground, Mercury saw that Weiss too was in the air. She was getting nearer to him, and as soon as he was close enough, kneed him hard in the face.**

 **Everything went dark as soon as Weiss' knee struck Mercury.**

"Ouch. Tough luck, guy." Yang called out to Mercury.

Mercury recoiled as the other version of him was kneed in the face. He could practically feel the pain the other Mercury must be feeling right now.

 **The TV screen brightened once more, the scene changing to show** **Brunette and Monk outside the shop, a carrier bag in one of their hands. The two walked over, waving each other goodbye.**

 **Back inside, Mercury attempted to reach for the last of the half-price bento on display, but Weiss reached over him and picked the bento up. Once it was gone, Mercury gave up and collapsed back onto the floor.**

 **The camera panned out to give a view of the area around the bento display, and it looked like a battlefield. The bodies of other Wolves lay unconscious on the floor, while others were slumped against other displays or small shelves. The only ones unharmed were Weiss and Velvet, the latter having not joined in on the fighting between the Wolves.**

 **Weiss did not leave immediately, but began to speak. "The weak have been beaten. That is the rule of this battlefield."**

Raven hummed in approval. At least one other person in the Multiverse shared her view of 'survival of the fittest.' Even if it was for something such as... this.

 **"How did you...?" Mercury groaned from his spot on the floor.**

 **"If you want to survive here, then knock on the door of clubroom 501 of clubroom 7:30 tomorrow morning."**

 **With that, Weiss walked away from the battlefield. Leaving Mercury to lie battered and bruised on the floor, while Velvet looked down at him. The rabbit faunus deciding to say.** **"Don't fear! Y-You'll get a proper burial."**

 **With that, the TV screen darkened and was off.**

"That was... I have no words." Salem said aloud. The others in the audience agreeing with her.

"That was one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life." Emerald smuggly declared. Looking towards the grey-haired young man beside her, she saw that his head was stooped forward and a small raincloud hung over his head.

Meanwhile, Velvet was not really sure what to make of herself in this universe. All she could say about the Velvet of that universe was that she was weird. Really weird.

Penny rose her hand up and asked Alaric. "Is this a regular occurrence in this world?"

"Fairly." Alaric began to explain to the robot-girl and the rest of the audience. "Fighting for bento in this part of this universe has developed into a sort of subculture. Bento Brawlers is the general term used to describe those who get into these fights."

"This is absolutely ridiculous." Winter mumbled to herself, with a couple others in agreement with her statement.

Alaric shrugged his shoulders and began to prepare the next universe.

* * *

 **Right, that's done.**

 **If any of you thought this was weird. Ben-To is an anime. That should explain why.**

 **I mixed lines from the English subtitles of the Japanese version and the English dubbed version Ben-To together on a couple occasions.**

 **Well, I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	19. This One Goes to Eleven

**Author's Note:**

 **Alright everyone, hope you're all doing well. G** **ot an interesting request from a user named 'Wall Maria's time master'.**

 **Haloid. An animation, probably the first one I think, made by Monty Oum way back in 2007, a couple years before he was hired by Rooster Teeth. In honour of Monty, I shall endeavour to do a chapter where the audience reacts to it. But not now. I got a few other things planned in mind.**

 **And this chapter will be one of the few that will not have any RWBY characters in it.**

 **Anyway, let us get back to the story.**

* * *

 **Red vs Blue: This One Goes to Eleven**

Keeper Alaric tucked his remote in his black robes, and began to laugh to himself. Considering the last universe that Alaric had laughed to as he prepared it, this either meant what they were going to watch was going to either be hilarious or ridiculous beyond measure.

"Ohoho, this'll be a good one. Hehehehehe." Alaric smiled under his mask as he rubbed his hands again.

"This isn't gonna be as weird as the one about the Holy Grail, right?" Ren asked the Keeper, slightly dreading the answer.

"You'll have to wait and see." Alaric responded in a sing-song manner.

Kali, curious of what they were talking about, turned to Blake and questioned her daughter. "Um, what happened with this thing about a 'Holy Grail'?"

Blake, and the others in the audience, were not sure how or whether they should answer the older cat faunus's question. Ruby and Nora, however, were more than willing to explain to Kali and the other newly arrived audience members. After a quick summary provided by the two girls, Kali, Ghira, Raven, Jeanne, Salem, Chibi Ruby, and Shi, looked at them and Alaric with odd looks.

"What?" Raven rhetorically muttered in a low voice.

"I-I..." Jeanne began to speak, but failed to formulate words that could appropriately express how perplexed, and slightly insulted, she was.

"That is certainly... interesting." Ghira said. To say he was more than a little confused was an understatement of the highest degree.

"Yes. Interesting." Kali added, similarly confused as her husband.

Salem couldn't think of any words to say, so decided to remain silent.

Shi barked once. Alaric looked down towards the Shiba Inu and said to the little dog. "I know right. Anyway, let's get on with watching _this_ universe. Shall we?"

Alaric felt something tug at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw that Chibi Ruby was stood beside his chair and was looking up at him. Chibi Ruby looked up at Alaric with adorable puppy-dog eyes, and asked the Keeper. "Mr Alaric, can I have a Book of Armaments?"

Alaric almost immediately replied, saying ."Lol, no!"

Chibi Ruby groaned in disappointment, and walked back to her taller counterpart's side. As soon as Chibi Ruby had climbed onto Team RWBY's couch, a female voice spoke from the speakers from beside the TV screen.

" **Alarm, security breach, level Alpha. All personnel report for duty. This is not a drill."**

"That doesn't sound good." Jaune commented, he and the others were slightly dreading what they were about to see. Though, of course, they would not look away due to curiosity.

 **The dark TV screen brightened with colour. They appeared to be in the control room of a warehouse of some kind. In the control room and stood before some control panels, was a man in blue futuristic body armour with a orange visor. Outside, three men in similar armour to the man in the control room, their armour respectively coloured red, maroon, and orange, ran past the room's windows in fear.**

 **"Run!" The one in maroon armoured cried.**

" **Oh, crap! Where is she?" The orange, and a bit tubby, one yelled.**

" **I don't wanna die!" The maroon one screamed. As they ran, the one in red fired the shotgun he was wielding, and threw a grenade, in the direction behind them.**

"Why do I have a feeling that 'she' is going to be a _very_ frightening lady?" Taiyang spoke up. A feeling that plenty in the audience could also feel.

"You wouldn't be wrong." Alaric added.

The members of the audience looked at a few of the more intimidating women in the audience as Alaric finished his words. Notably; Yang, Glynda, Raven, Cinder, and Neo. The five noticed that everyone else was looking at them, the audience looked away as soon as they did. I do not think I need to give an explanation as to why they were picked out by the rest of the audience.

Ruby, deciding to change the subject, pointed out to the three men onscreen. "Uh, who are those guys anyway?"

"Hm, well, the blue one's called Caboose. The maroon one's Simmons. The orange one's Grif. And the red one's called Sarge." Alaric responded. The audience looked towards him when he mentioned that one of them was actually named 'Sarge'.

"His name is Sarge?" Kali questioned, disbelieving what she had heard. The Keeper responding immediately.

"Oh yeah."

Cinder, a bit interested in what was going on in this universe, took her turn to ask Alaric a question. "So, who are they running from?"

" **Sheila, we have to help them!" Caboose begged someone, his voice all to familiar to the Beacon staff and students.**

Port, upon hearing their voice, turned to his colleague beside him, Oobleck, and said. "Bartholemew, old boy! That lad sounds strikingly similar to you."

"Indeed he does." Oobleck replied in agreement with Port. "An alternate version of myself, I presume?"

"Yes. But, you'll find he's astronomically different to you." Alaric answered, causing a few raised eyebrows. How would this 'Caboose' be different to Beacon's History Professor?

 **The female voice from before replied to Caboose with a question. "Help who?"**

 **"The Reds!" Another armoured individual, this time their armour was black, with a feminine frame leapt past the window as Caboose continued to speak to the disembodied female voice. "Tex is attacking them, we have to stop her!**

 **"Stop Agent Texas? Oh no, absolutely not. We should never interfere with an ongoing battlefield simulation test. Our job is to observe and document."**

"Right, the scary lady is called 'Tex'. But who's Caboose talking to?" Nora queried, wondering just where the speaker was.

"An Artificial Intelligence called F.I.L.S.S, but Caboose calls her Sheila. She runs the place." Alaric responded.

Penny perked up at the mention of F.I.L.S.S being an A.I, and excitedly said. "An A.I?"

"Yes. Quite a delightful... woman, I guess. Though, she does have a couple... quirks, as you'll soon see."

 **"But she'll kill them!" Caboose pleaded. Though his words didn't seem to discourage F.I.L.S.S, in fact, it appeared to excite her.**

 **"Oh, that would be _wonderful!_ What a successful test!" F.I.L.S.S responded with a cheery voice.**

Okay, Alaric was right about the fact that this F.I.L.S.S had quirks. Quirks of a very violent nature.

 **The scene changed to the Sarge, Simmons, and Grif. The latter two were panting in exhaustion, as Sarge tried to rally his men.**

 **"We need to keep moving, men. Come on, double-time. Hell I'd settle for single-time!" Sarge's voice drew a few chuckles from the audience because of how odd his accent was to them. He came off as a gruff military drill instructor, though, something stopped the audience from taking him too seriously, or at all.**

 **Simmons, after recovering his breath, stood up straight and started to say to his comrades.**

 **"Maybe we should just fight. I'm afraid she's gonna start picking us off one by-" Suddenly, Tex's arm punched right through the wall Simmons was stood beside and grabbed him by the throat. "** **-one!"**

"Oh crap!" Pyrrha loudly swore. Realising what she'd said, Pyrrha cllasped her hand over her mouth, before apologising. "I'm sorry!"

"I don't understand why, but the way you said 'I'm sorry' was delightful to hear." Salem commented. Earning a couple odd glances, while Pyrrha uncertainly smiled in thanks to Salem. The red-haired girl was unsure what to make of Salem's words.

 **Tex then pulled the maroon soldier towards her, slamming his face into the wall. Momentarily stunning Simmons, Tex kicked the wall she was behind with enough force that it was launched forwards towards a large crate opposite her. Simmons being launched with it.**

 **Sarge levelled his shotgun at Tex, but the black armoured woman darted forward, grabbed Sarge's shotgun and pointed it away from her just as he pulled the trigger. Tex then punched Sarge right in the stomach, before pushing him head first at Grif. Sarge's head slamming right into Grif's crotch.**

The males in the audience recoiled at the scene. All of them very well aware of the pains of getting hit in the crotch. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the last time the males in the audience would be reminded of this very painful experience. Even Alaric was not immune.

 **As Sarge and Grif tried to recover from Tex's attack. Tex charged forward, smashing both Sarge and Grif through a large crate and throwing them into a stack of barrels.**

"So, this is another universe where the people are just as strong as us?" Yang asked.

"With the right enhancements, gear, training, and a few other factors. They can come close." Alaric answered.

 **Simmons emerged from the wall he was crushed behind and said to himself. "** **Oh man, forget this! I need to get a bigger weapon."**

"Oooh, new weapons!" Both Ruby and Chibi Ruby squealed. They had so far seen rifles and a shotgun being used, but no they had an opportunity for more.

 **Simmons ran over to the control room Caboose was in and called out to him.** **"Caboose, help us!"**

 **"How? The computer won't let me. She's mean! This place is filled with mean ladies!" Caboose replied.**

 **"Push some buttons, I don't know!"**

" **Buttons? Oh man, I love buttons!" Caboose said with much joy in his voice. Placing his rifle on his back, Caboose began to randomly press any button he could see on the controls in front of him, whilst making childish sounds. "Beep bop boop boop beep bop boop boop."**

"Hm, you were not exaggerating when you mentioned he was different from me." Oobleck commented as he observed this alternate version of himself. Despite possessing the frame of a grown man, Caboose appeared to act like a child.

 **Suspended above Simmons, a box stacked with weapons tilted to the side, and the weapons fell beside the maroon soldier. All of the weapons being double-barreled rocket launchers.**

 **Simmons, greatly surprised by the weapons deposited right next to him, went ahead and picked on up, before running off saying. "Wow. That actually worked perfectly. Thanks!"**

 **"Great! How the heck did I do that?" Caboose said as he watched Simmons leave.**

"Rocket launchers?! Awesome!" Both Rubys and Nora cheered. The Rubys because, you know, weapons. Nora cheered because explosives.

 **Another scene change showed yet another soldier, this time their armour was coloured cyan, meet up with Simmons. A strange hilt at his side.**

"Who's this?" Neptune asked. Kind of liking how the new guy's armour colour matched the colour of his hair a bit.

"Tucker. A capable soldier, but a major pervert as well." Alaric responded.

Winter, curious of the almost uniform standard of their armour, turned to Alaric and asked. "Are the rest of them soldiers?"

"Technically, I guess. Apart from Tex, they're all Simulation Troopers." Alaric began to explain. "Imagine them as the worst soldiers in the military, used as lab rats for soldiers like Tex."

A large majority of the audience were disgusted at this revelation. What sick madman would use people like this?

 **The now identified Tucker asked Simmons. "Hey Simmons, what the hell is going on in there?"**

 **"You gotta help us! Do you know how to use that thing?" Simmons desperately begged Tucker, pointing at the hilt at the cyan soldier's side.**

 **"My sword? Fuck yeah I know how to use it. What's to understand about swish-swish-stab? It's a fuckin' sword dude, it's not a fighter jet."**

 **"Just come and help me!"**

"That's a sword? Is it some kind of a compact transformable weapon?" Ruby wondered.

"I hope he is combat ready. This Tex person is a very strong combatant as far as we've seen." Penny added.

 **Elsewhere, as Sarge and Grif tried to get on their feet, Tex threw a barrel at them. Grif was able to duck in time, though Sarge, who wasn't looking, was struck in the head with it. Grif tried shouting his rifle at Tex, letting out through bursts, but Tex was able to roll under Grif's fire. Standing up, Tex grabbed the throats of the two men and smashed their heads together with a loud metallic clang. Tex then went on to deliver a couple of punches and kicked Sarge in the side of his helmet.**

 **Grif recovered and wildly fired at Tex, but she dodged him once again and knocked his rifle away. She then went ahead and pummeled away at him with a flurry of punches before knocking him to the floor. Tex then grabbed hold of Grif's right leg with her left hand and raised it into the air, leaving his crotch vulnerable to Tex's right hand which was raised and ready to punch the orange armoured man right in his crown jewels.**

 **Understanding Tex's intent, Griff desperately begged to Tex. "Wait wait wait-!"**

 **Tex ignored Grif's pleas and delivered a crushing punch to Grif's crotch before kicking him into the side of a crate a good distance away. The audience were able to see for a lone second that a large dent now existed right where Grif's behind had lain on the floor.**

"Oh god!" Ironwood let out a uncharacteristic yell as he witnessed Tex punch Grif in the groin.

"She's a monster!" Velvet burst out. She would admit, she'd hit a man in the crotch a couple times before, but only in desperation and when there appeared to be no other option. Tex seemed to be doing it just out of spite of Grif.

"She's like an extreme version of that Ice Witch from the last universe!" Yang cried, receiving a squawk from Weiss.

"Ooh, man! I think I can feel that." Mercury said to no one in particular. The other males in the audience agreed with Mercury, a few of them crossing their legs in discomfort.

 **As Tex moved onto beating the hell out of Sarge, a doorframe-like object filled with a glowing greenish-white aura fell from the top of the container Grif had collided with. The door-thing fell on Grif, the orange soldier disappearing as the greenish-white aura fell on him, and after a short delay, Grif emerged from another of the door-things close to Tex.**

"Look, portals!" Nora said as she pointed at the screen.

"I think they're actually called teleporters." Ren added, trying to reign in his excitable friend.

 **Tex swiftly ducked as a glowing blue grenade flew past Tex's head, followed by Tucker's voice calling out to the black armoured woman. "Hey, sweet cheeks!** **Remember me?"**

 **The camera focused on Tucker as he took the hilt from his side, two glowing blue blades materializing on the two ends of the hilt. "Step away from the idiot!"**

"Is that an energy sword?!" The two Rubys squealed in awe of the weapon.

"Yes indeed. In fact, it actually is called an energy sword." Alaric began to explain. "The blades are made of plasma, ionized gas that can be hotter than the surface of suns. Pretty amazing, eh?"

Those who were interested in weapons, and generally liked the thought of the swords with plasma blades, looked on the energy sword in fascination.

 **Tucker and Tex began to circle round each other. Behind Tex's back, atop a large container, Simmons could be seen aiming his newly acquired rocket launcher at Tex.**

"A distraction. Good idea." Ozpin muttered, nodding at how they at least knew how to formulate a feasible plan.

"Not sure it'll work though. Not after all the things we've seen this Tex do." Qrow skeptically spoke up.

"I agree. She's like an unstoppable machine." Glynda added, throwing her own thoughts into the conversation. She also had a tingling feeling in the back of her head that told her that she know who Tex was.

Alaric opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. The audience didn't need to know that Tex was a machine. If they did, he wouldn't tell them now.

 **"Oh God, please don't let her see me." Simmons whispered nervously to himself as he got into position.**

 **Suddenly and unexpectedly, a crate fell between Tex and Tucker.**

 **The culprit behind the crate's sudden appearance was revealed when Caboose's voice was heard shouting loudly from the control room. "Yes! I saved Tucker! Oh wait... I saved Tucker."**

"No! You idiot!" Weiss berated Caboose, despite the fact that he couldn't hear her.

 **Tucker, angry with Caboose, looked towards the control room, and shouted for everyone to hear. "Caboose, what're you doing? You're messing up my plan with Simmons! I was supposed to distract her for him!"**

"What the hell? C'mon, why'd he said that aloud?!" Sun spluttered in disbelief at how Tucker just revealed his plan.

Alaric snapped his fingers as he remembered something, and revealed the reason as to why Tucker had decided announcing his plan was a good idea. "Hm, I think I forgot to mention that almost every single one of them are idiots."

The audience looked at Alaric and back at the screen, a couple of them shaking their heads or facepalming.

"I think we're starting to see that." Roman commented. He and Neo had worked with idiots before, so the two of them could practically smell stupidity coming from people. Well, that's what Roman would say sometimes.

 **Tex turned around and saw Simmons loading his rocket launcher atop the container he was stood on.**

 **"YOU RATTED ME OUT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Simmons yelled at Tucker as he fired a single rocket at Tex.**

 **Tex jumped away in time to avoid the rocket. She went over to one of the teleporter doors and threw it at Simmons.**

 **"Oh shit!" Simmons yelled as he fired another rocket at Tex. The rocket flew straight at Tex, but it flew through the teleporter door, and reappeared out another teleporter below the container Simmons was standing on.**

 **Simmons is thrown into the air by the explosion, right into the flying teleporter and out of the other end – straight into Tex who grabs him and kicks him into Tucker, sending them sprawling to the ground. The rocket exploded one it hit, sending Simmons flying into the air and into the teleporter that his rocket had gone through.**

 **"Oh shit!" Simmons cried as he entered and exited the teleporter. Waiting at the teleporter he exited was Tex, who promptly grabbed him from the air, threw him over her head, and kicked him offscreen.**

 **Tucker witnessed all this, and said, before Simmons collided with him. "That was awesome! Ow!"**

Plenty in the audience couldn't help but agree with Tucker, despite the fact the fact that he was the reason why the plan with Simmons had failed. Then again, would it have succeeded in the first place?

 **Back with Caboose, the blue armoured man tried to convince F.I.L.S.S to help his friends/enemies/companions, or friendenemepanions for short.**

 **"Um, can we use turrets on her or some explodey firey thing?"**

" **That would be outside the bounds of my standard safety protocols. I cannot do that." Was F.I.L.S.S's response.**

"But, shouldn't there be a failsafe or some kind of contingency for if something like this happens?" Penny asked in confusion. Alaric answering. "There are indeed contingencies, yes."

"Then why isn't F.I.L.S.S enacting them?" Blake added.

"Because no one asked her to." Alaric replied with a shrug of his shoulders, and a dismissive wave of his hand. Telling them to keep watching.

 **Sarge, Grif, Simmons, and Tucker unsteadily got onto their feet and prepared to fight Tex. Sarge with his shotgun, Simmons with his rocket launcher, Tucker with his energy sword, and Grif with a random orange cone.**

"A cone? Seriously?" Emerald blankly said, not sure of what Grif was thinking when he picked up the cone. Did he really think it could be used as a weapon? If he did, he was an idiot. Then again, Alaric had said they were.

"If you don't mind me asking, but, who's Tex an alternate version of? I got this feeling she's someone we know." Ren spoke up, voicing a question that others from Beacon had been internally asking themselves throughout this viewing.

"Eh, I was saving this reveal for after it finished, but I may as well tell you now." Alaric shrugged. "Tex is an alternate version of Professor Goodwitch over there."

There was a prolonged silence after Alaric revealed the identity of who Tex was an alternate of. Slowly, the attendants of Beacon Academy, student and staff, turned their heads towards Glynda. Glynda, upon hearing Alaric's words, half-expected this reaction to happen. She had a reputation as one of, if not _the_ scariest woman in Vale and Beacon. A reputation gained thanks to her attitude and her powerful Semblance.

Now there she was onscreen, destroying these men just as Weiss in the last universe had.

"Is this whole 'frighteningly powerful girls beat the crap out of everyone' gonna be a thing here now?" Mercury questioned, receiving a few looks from the audience.

"I thought it already was." Alaric remarked, pointing a finger towards the various girls from present day Remnant in the audience. When the audience did think about it, the Keeper was right. There were plenty of scary girls with crazy levels of power amongst them right now.

No seriously, there are. Just really think about it.

 **"What do we do Sarge?" Grif questioned the Red team leader, his voice filled with nothing but fear.**

 **"I don't know. I've never hit a girl in my life!" Sarge repied.**

" **Yeah, I noticed. Try harder!" Simmons added, just as scared as Grif was.**

 **Tex charged forward, grabbed hold of Sarge's shotgun and snatched it out of his hands. She then ducked under a slash from Tucker, and punched the cyan soldier offscreen, before dodging a rocket from Simms and kicked the maroon soldier into another teleporter.**

 **"WHAT THE FUUUU-" Simmons screamed as he flew into the teleporter. Tex turned around and aimed Sarge's shotgun at Grif. In the background Simmons could be seen flying out of a teleporter and into another, still screaming . "-UUUUU-!"**

 **Simmons entered the second teleporter in the background, and exited out a teleporter behind Grif, and crashed right into Grif's back. Grif was knocked forward because of Simmons, right towards Tex, who proceeded kick Grif in the crotch again and pinned the orange armoured man to the floor with her foot. Tex then aimed Sarge's shotgun at Grif's head.**

 **"Oh no, Grif!" Simmons yelled.**

"Welp, goodbye orange guy." Roman said with a shrug of his shoulders, having not really given him much of a chance in this fight.

A couple in the audience covered their eyes, not wanting to see what a bloody mess the shotgun would turn Grif's face into.

 **"Yikes!" Grif was able to say as Tex pulled the trigger. But, instead of blasting his face away, nothing happened.**

"It's out of ammo." Pyrrha said in relief.

 **Sarge, halfway onto his feet, shouted at Grif in frustration and disappointment. "Private Grif, you should be ashamed of yourself. We've run out of ammo again! That's your responsibility!"**

 **"Huh. I guess this is the first time my laziness has ever saved my-" Grif started to say, but was interrupted when Tex planted a foot on his chest, and raised Sarge's shotgun like a golf club. Grif held the cone over his face and pleaded.** **"Protect me, cone!"**

 **Tex swung the shotgun, hitting him in the crotch, and sending him flying towards Simmons.**

 **"Watch it!" The maroon soldier yelled at Grif.**

 **The orange armoured soldier painfully grunted back. "You watch it!"**

"What does Tex have against Grif's balls?" Coco queried, flinching at how Tex had struck Grif in the balls. Again.

Most of the audience, particularly the men, felt sorry for the guy. Getting struck in the genitalia a few times in such short order must be very painful, but props to him for his ability to get back onto his feet the previous times. Though, the audience wondered whether he would be able to after that one.

The men in the audience now felt a compulsion to guard their own groins, though, they decided not to put their hands on their crotches due to the fact women were in the same room as them. Though it might be understandable, they felt it would be seen as weird if they decided to just put their hands down there. I mean, they weren't actually getting hit in the crotch and Tex was onscreen, so there wasn't a real need to.

 **"You idiots! Let me show you how it's done!"** **Sarge berated his two men, before turning to face Tex. The moment his head had turned, Tex punched him in the face, sending him flying between Simmons and Grif.**

 **"Nice demonstration, Sarge." Grif said, sarcasm in his voice.**

 **"Ah shut up." Sarge grunted at Grif.**

 **Simmons looked up, and noticed a large container being moved by a crane until it was right above Tex and Tucker. "Hey guys, look up there."**

 **The others, except for Tex saw the container. Tucker, seeing an opportunity, called out to Caboose. "** **Hey Caboose! Remember when I said not to help me? Forget that, I need you to help me. Right now!"**

 **Over to Caboose, the blue soldier looked towards the control room console and asked F.I.L.S.S. "What holds up that crate?"**

 **"Mechanical controls are on the left side of the console." F.I.L.S.S responded. Caboose moved over and pressed buttons randomly, as he was want to do.** **By a miracle of fate, it actually worked.**

 **The crate fell down towards Tex and Tucker. Tucker dove out of the way, while Tex remained right where she stood. Tex noticed the shadow of the large crate growing, and saw it falling towards her. With barely time to move, Tex did something the audience did not anticipate. She raised her arms caught the crate, holding it up on her shoulders, the ground cracking underneath her.**

 **"I can't believe that worked!" Tucker looked up from the ground and saw Tex holding up with crate with her hands. "Aw fuck, that didn't work!"**

 **"I knew that would not work. Agent Tex is a bit of a badass." F.I.L.S.S commented.**

"Holy shit!" Sun swore as he looked on in mild fascination.

Others too were fascinated by how Tex could hold up such a large metal crate on her own. The most physically powerful in the audience, such as Yang and Yatsuhashi, could do the same with their Auras. It was starting to shake the people of Remnant a bit at how people without Aura or Semblance could do physical feats that rivalled their own capabilities.

"Huh, she's _really_ strong." Raven whispered to herself. Personally, she liked Tex. Tex was strong, Raven liked that strength.

 **With a bit of effort, Tex threw the crate at the Reds, and Tucker. Instantly sending the small group into a panic.**

 **"We gotta get outta here!" Grif screamed as he beat his fists against a large door in a futile attempt to open it. Meanwhile, Sarge and Simmons looked around for any means to escape death by giant crate turning them into canned meat, the latter yelping. "** **We'll be crushed!"**

 **"Don't worry guys, I got this." Tucker proclaimed to the Reds behind him as he activated his energy sword and, out either bravery or bravado, stood there as the crate flew closer towards him.**

"There's no way he's going to-" ironwood began to say, but was proven by what happened next.

 **"SWISH!" Tucker yelled aloud as he swung his sword, and somehow, sliced the crate in half. Impressive as the feat was, the two halves of the crate crushed Simmons and Grif, while Sarge was engulfed by the contents of the crate. White boxes with a red cross on their top face, and tanks filled with propane.**

 **"Ow! We were crushed!" Grif was heard saying behind his half of the crate.**

 **"Aw fuckberries." Tucker swore to himself as he turned and saw what had happened behind him. The cyan soldier looked back to face Tex and began to say to her. "Tex, can you-"**

 **Tucker was interrupted when Tex, whilst Tucker's back had been turned, had come close to him and kicked him in the face. Recovering quickly, Tucker faced Tex and said.** **"Alright, you know what, that's it! Come here!"**

"Can I ask, what is the history between these people? I feel like they know Tex somehow." Salem questioned Alaric.

"Eh, you're not wrong. Though, I find it would be best if I didn't go into too much detail." Alaric replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "The full version would be so long that it would have to be condensed into several entire seasons of webisodes."

The audience looked at Alaric oddly. Rather confused as to his specific choice of a webisode series, not helped by this strange feeling the people of Remnant had when they heard the word 'webisode'. Seeing this, Alaric moved on and explained.

"A short version is that she's worked with, worked against, and generally hung around this lot of idiots for a time. She even has some special history with the leader of Tucker and Caboose's team."

"What? You mean a history of booping?" Nora asked. Though her use of vocabulary was odd, the meaning and context of it was not entirely lost on the audience. So they assumed she meant a romantically or pure sexual relationship had exited between Tex and whoever was Caboose and Tucker's team leader.

Alaric did not immediately respond, pausing for a long moment. A surefire indication that the matter was more than that and that he was debating whether or not he should tell them anything. "Not like that. It's _far_ more complicated then that. Like really really really really complicated. Just keep watching."

 **Simmons emerged from behind the half of the crate he had been crushed behind, fortunately unharmed, and began to look around for his comrades. "Oh thank God, thought I was a goner. Sarge, where are you?"**

 **Sarge's head popped out of the pile of white boxes, health kits for those concerned, and replied. "W** **hat happened? I feel defeated, yet inexplicably rejuvenated!"**

 **Back with Tucker and Tex, the two had begun to fight. The cyan soldier with his energy sword, and the black armoured beast with her bare hands.**

 **Tucker swung his sword at Tex in a vertical slash, but Tex sidestepped his attack and punched him in the side of his helmeted face and then his side in quick order. Not giving up, Tucker swung his energy sword again, this time in a horizontal strike intended for Tex's unarmoured midsection. Tex ducked, kicked the left side of his midsection and punched him across his face one more time.**

 **Tucker became slightly unbalanced, but recovered, and thrust his sword at Tex. Again, Tex dodged the attack. This time, Tex grabbed hold of his arm, twisted it, kicked him in the back of his knee, and kicked him again. Disarming Tucker of his weapon, and sending him sliding across the floor of the room, past the Reds, and fell into a teleporter.**

"Did he have to make those swishing sounds? He was practically telling Tex when he was going to attack." Winter said with a disapproving shake of her head.

"Did you forget? These are idiots. And really, what chance did this guy have against Tex anyway?" Qrow spoke up to Winter.

In a rare moment of agreement between the two, Winter conceded and replied to Qrow. "Good point."

 **Cut to the Reds, Grif was stunned when he saw Tucker disappear into the teleporter and asked his teammates. "Whoa, did you see that?!"**

 **"How could I have missed that?" Simmons answered in annoyance. You can guess that his annoyed tone was due in part because of his prior experience with the teleporters of this place, and of how what had happened just happened right in front of them.**

 **Tucker emerged out of another teleporter, his armour covered in soot presumably, and stumbled right into Tex's waiting hand. Tex grabbed him by the throat, holding Tucker's sword. Yet, before she could do anything, the blue blades of the sword disappeared like a lightbulb being turned off.**

"What happened to the sword's blades?" Jeanne asked, still coming to grips with all this advanced technology.

"If I recall correctly, only Tucker can use it due it locking his gene-print when he first picked it up. What happened after that was very... disturbing. You-You don't want to know." Alaric said, ending that last sentence with a disturbed shudder. Though, in his head, the Keeper was hoping they'd ask him what happened.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked Alaric, curiousity getting the better of her.

Behind his mask, Alaric smiled, and jumped forward to give his answer. "Tucker was impregnated by an alien, and gave birth to an alien child."

There was a long, silent pause as the members of the audience processed what Alaric had said. The silence was broken when the audience finally reacted and expressed their thoughts.

"What the fuck?!"

"I-I... eh-"

"Oh god! There's a mental image in my head! Why is there a mental image in my head?!"

"Ew! It's like that comic I found where an alien boops with a hu-!"

"How could it be physically possible that he could give birth?"

"You wanted one of us to ask, didn't you?"

"Just keep watching and don't think on it." Alaric interrupted, secretly basking in the reactions he had aroused from his guests.

 **Back to the TV screen. Tucker, who was still in Tex's grip, began to taunt Tex. "What's the matter Tex, you having trouble keeping it up? Don't worry, it happens to everybody.** **Well, not me, but..."**

"Seriously? Dick jokes? Of all times?" Coco groaned.

"Says the person who pats peoples' arses whilst on missions." Alaric piped up.

 **The Reds, being the _helpful_ bunch that they were, were just standing there watching the exchange between the two. After a brief pause, Sarge turned to Simmons and asked.**

 **"That rocket launcher's one of the older models, right?"**

 **"Yeah." Simmons responded. Tucker's voice crying out in pain could be heard from offscreen.**

 **"That means it's got heat-seeking." Sarge**

"Heat-seeking rocket launchers!" The Rubys squealed.

 **"Now lock on and let her rip!" Sarge ordered Simmons.**

 **"Oh right, I forgot about that."**

 **Offscreen, Tucker could be head saying loudly to Tex. "Ow, holy crap, you just don't know how to use it-"**

 **Tucker's voice stopped for a moment, the sound that was made whenever someone entered a teleporter was heard, and the Reds looked towards a teleporter near them. From it, Tucker emerged and fell face down onto the floor, his armour completely coverd in black soot.**

 **"-bitch!" Tucker yelled. He noticed all the soot that covered his armour and loudly complained. "Damn it, I hate this black stuff, what the hell is it?!"**

 **"There she is!" Grif pointed at Tucker.**

 **Confused, Tucker looked towards the Reds and let out a puzzled. "Huh?"**

 **"Get her!" Sarge ordered as he and Grif ran at Tucker, though, Simmons remained behind.**

"Are you serious? These are the most moronic idiots I have ever seen." Glynda groaned, perplexed as to how they were even able to get out of bed in the morning.

 **Simmons, from where he stood, and called out to Sarge and Grif to pause for a moment. "Wait, guys..."**

 **Simmons was ignored however, and Sarge and Grif went ahead and started to punch and kick Tucker whilst the Blue was down. Grif tired out quickly enough, but Sarge continued to assault Tucker despite his protests.**

 **"Ow, come on! I'm not Tex, I'm a Blue! I'm not the one you're fighting. Leave me the fuck alone!"**

 **Sarge was able to get Tucker in a headlock and punched the top of the Blue's helmeted head a few times. Tucker, still yelling at them.** **"Why are you hitting me, I'm not Tex!"**

"Come on now! Why can't he realise who he's hitting?" Oobleck said as he ran his hand over his face.

 **"Sarge, hold on, hold on!" Simmons called out to Sarge. This time, the gruff red soldier heard his subordinate and looked up at Simmons, who continued to speak.** **"I think that's Tucker, not Tex."**

"Finally." Oobleck said with relief. It seemed some sense and reason had returned to the Reds.

 **"See I told you!" Tucker continued to yell at Sarge from the headlock. Though, Sarge punched him one more time before he released Tucker.**

 **Tucker, slightly reeling from the Reds' attack, walked backwards and angrily said to Sarge. "Ow, you fucker! Why'd you do that?"**

 **Sarge shrugged nonchalantly and replied to Tucker. "Meh, force o' habit."**

"Idiots." Cinder spoke up. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen any people more foolish than this lot. They were fighting against a powerful opponent, but all they were doing was fool around.

 **"Man you guys are n-ah-" Tucker began, but lost balance because, as he had been walking backwards he had not watched where he was going, and accidently tripped on one of the health kits that littered the floor. Stumbling backwards, Tucker nearly collided with Grif who had been standing behind him.**

 **The two men retreated backwards until they were stood over the teleporter Tucker had exited, which happened to lying on the floor. They precariously leaned over it, Grif on one end whilst Tucker was on the other. Grif holding Tucker up, and preventing the two men from falling into it.**

Qrow, being a person who was very familiar due to a great deal of personal experience on the matters of bad luck and unfortunate events, saw just how a certain someone might take advantage of Tucker and Grif's position and sighed. "Oh boy. I can see what's gonna happen here."

Others who had heard Qrow took a moment to understand what he was implying, but caught on quickly enough. When they did, they prepared themselves for another crack at Grif's nuts.

Jeanne even went ahead and said a quick prayer for Grif.

 **Cut to Tex, she stood by the other teleporter, having watched that entire interaction without doing anything. She, as Qrow had quietly anticipated, looked towards the teleporter beside her, and an idea came to her mind.**

 **Grif looked over to Tex and shouted out to Tucker and the other Reds. "Hold still, hold still, I can see her. She's right over there by the other-"**

 **Changing to a view of Tucker and Grif, Tex's upper body emerged from the teleporter below the two and looked about for a moment. Noticing her and dreading what she was going to do, Grif let out a frightened.** **"Uh oh."**

 **Tucker, also seeing that Tex was right below them, pointlessly whispered to the orange soldier. "Grif, I see her."**

 **Not a moment later, Tex punched Grif hard in the crotch, causing Grif to clutch his crotch in pain and fall into the teleporter. As he did so, he painfully asked Tex as she disappeared back through the teleporter.** **"What is your problem with my balls?!"**

"That's what we're asking." Port sighed.

 **Tucker, without Grif's support, started to lose balance. He waved him arms wildly around, but fell in after Grif. Saying to himself.** **"Aw crap."**

 **Both men fell out of the other teleporter. Grif falling on the floor, still holding his hands over his crotch. When Tucker came threw, Tex grabbed him from behind and suplexed him. Tex then proceeded to mount Tucker and attempt to punch him repeatedly in the face. Tucker raised his arms to protect his face and began to say to Tex.**

 **"Wow, right into the mount, huh? Not even gonna buy dinner? Come on, I like your style!"**

"Is he... trying to flirt with her?" Weiss questioned, not understanding why he decided now was a good time to do such a thing, and that Tex was a good target for his words. She was trying to beat him to death, for goodness sake!

"Where's Caboose? Shouldn't he try and do something to help them?" Chibi Ruby suggested, though everyone else balked at the suggestion.

"Remember the last time Caboose tried to help them?" Yang pointed out to Chibi Ruby.

Chibi Ruby took a moment to think on this, and agreed on how such a thing might actually be a bad idea, saying. "Oh, good point."

 **Over by Sarge and Simmons, the two watched as Tex pummeled Tucker. Simmons still had his rocket launcher and aimed at the two.**

 **Sarge, seeing a golden opportunity, shouted at Simmons. "Simmons, what're you waiting for?"**

 **"They look the same! Which one do I shoot?!" Simmons responded.**

 **Tucker, still protecting himself from Tex, was able to hear Sarge and Simmons's exchange and shouted at them. "Ow! Shoot the one who's winning, dumbass!"**

"Idiots." Cinder said a second time.

 **Grif, having gotten onto his feet and still holding onto his crotch, stumbled into the line of fire. He was groaning pitifully and let out an anguished. "Ow!"**

 **Seeing this, Simmons shouted out to Grif. "Grif! Watch it!"**

 **Tex looked up from Tucker towards Grif. Surmising that she was going nowhere with what she was doing right now, Tex got up from Tucker, and kicked him right into Grif. Sending the orange soldier offscreen, while Tucker remained in the air for a few brief seconds. Tex took advantage of this, and leapt forward, grabbed Tucker's leg and pulled him back to her.**

 **Time slowed for a moment. The TV screen before them showed Tex, her right arm raised and descending towards Tucker's face as the Blue could only look on as Tex's fist came ever closer to him. Time returned to its normal pace, and the blow came. With a loud crack, Tucker was sent flying over to the Reds, the soot all over his armour having been punched off of him thanks to Tex.**

 **"Wow, knocked the black right off ya!" Sarge remarked at how hard Tex had punched Tucker.**

 **Tucker got onto his knees, surprisingly only in pain and not dead, and replied to Sarge's remark. "That's racist!"**

 **Sarge didn't respond to Tucker's words, and focused on more pressing matters. He looked to Simmons and commanded him. "You're all clear Simmons, now shoot her!"**

 **"Fire in the hole!" Simmons shouted aloud as he aimed the rocket launcher at Tex. A beeping sound that could only be that of the rocket launcher locking onto a target was heard, and a second later, Simmons let lose a single rocket.**

"Oh man! I want them to win, but I can't help but feel they'll lose." Jaune groaned. Being a weaker fighter when compared to everyone else in Beacon, he would like to see the weaker fighters in these universes come up on top.

Seeing her alternate counterpart's mild dismay, Jeanne put a hand on his shoulder and tried to lift his hopeful spirits. "Don't lose heart! Even the most seemingly invincible of foes can be bested."

 **The rocket flew through the air, and came close to hitting Tex, who had begun to run from it. It was close, but Tex jumped a great distance forward through a teleporter and flipped out of another one nearby, and ran towards Tucker and the Reds. The rocket still following after her.**

 **"Are you fucking kidding me? Run!" Tucker yelled, before he and the Reds tried to make a break for it. Yet in their panicked attempt to run away, Tucker bumped into Simmons, who subsequently bumped into Sage. Grif, on the other hand, was able to not get tangled up with the other three and ran away.**

 **In their confused state, Tex was able to run up to Tucker, Simmons, and Sarge, and went on to knock all three of them over like bowling pins with a single punch. Grif made the mistake to turn around, and believed Tex would punch him in the crotch again when she slid between his legs. But, to his and the audience's surprise and relief, she did no such thing.**

 **Grif looked up and saw the rocket fast approaching. Doing the only thing he could think of, Grif covered his crotch with his hands again, and said. "Oh God, not my ba-"**

 **The missile passed through his legs, sparing the man a humiliating death by missile to the crotch. Relieved his balls lived to see another day, Grif said as he turned towards where Tex and the rocket had gone.** **"Oh thank God. I thought I was-"**

 **Tex leapt into the teleporter that Tucker and Grif had fallen into together. The rocket had been too close to Tex and too low to the ground to successfully follow Tex through teleporter, so, it overshot and blew up right next to the propane tanks.**

"Oh shit." Taiyang muttered as he watched the rocket strike the floor.

 **Time slowed again, as the rocket exploded. The heat of the explosion ignited the propane tanks, turning them into rockets as well. Grif tried to run away, and finished his sentence as he did.** **"-FUUUCKED!"**

 **The ignited propane tanks flew and exploded everywhere. One caught Grif in, not surprisingly, his crotch and flew up towards the ceiling. Sarge, Simmons, and Tucker were relatively better off than Grif, as they were sent flying into the air by the explosions of the propane tanks.**

 **Meanwhile, Tex rolled out of the connecting teleporter and stood up as Sarge, Simmons, and Tucker fell back to the ground. Defeated.**

"Is it almost over?" Velvet asked Alaric, hoping it would, but secretly knowing that it wasn't. This hope was crushed, and her secret fear was confirmed by Alaric's swift reply.

"Ehhh, not yet."

"Where's Grif? Is he stuck in the ceiling?" Nora wondered. The others in the audience also noticed Grif's absence, and mentally wondered where he was.

 **The same question seemed to have been on Tex's mind, for she looked up and saw Grif, though the camera was focused squarely on Tex so the audience couldn't. Tex then walked over to a concrete barricade that was conveniently placed there, and easily moved it into position with one of her feet.**

It took a short moment for the audience to realise what Tex had in mind, and started to express their distate with Tex's apparent fascination with causing Grif pain by inflicting it on his groin.

"Oh god no!" Neptune wailed as he covered his eyes with one hand.

"I-I really feel sorry for this guy." Yang mumbled to herself.

"Why?!" Mercury said as he planted his face into the palms of his open hands.

"Tex is a very mean lady!" Penny stated, reminiscent of how Caboose had called F.I.L.S.S a 'mean lady'.

"This has gotten out of hand." Ozpin sighed as he, and the others in the audience, braced himself for what was about to come.

 **Satisfied, Tex back up, placed her hands on her hips and waited.** **A couple seconds later, Grif fell right onto the barricade.**

 **Crotch first.**

Throughout the audience, all the male members of the audience gripped their own crotches and winced in pain as the witnessed what just happened.

 **Despite the intense pain, Grif was able to question Tex as she walked off. "Why won't you just kill me?!"**

"That would be preferable to all... that." Salem said to herself.

 **As Tex left behind the broken bodies of Tucker and the Reds, and voice called out to her from offscreen, and a strange metal device knocked her on the side of her head. "Hey Tex!"**

 **Tex and the camera focused on who had spoken and from where the device had been thrown. Standing there, in a cobalt coloured version of the armour everyone else in this universe wore, was a man wielding a sniper rifle.**

 **"How 'bout you pick on somebody your own size?"**

 **The screen then went dark.**

"So. What did you all think?" Alaric posed this question as helooked to his audience. An uncomfortable pause preceded the response that came after.

"That was... hard to watch." Ghira slowly answered.

"It was certainly action-packed, though quite ridiculous a lot of the time." Ren put his own opinion forward.

"I want an Energy Sword! Wait, can you imagine what would happen if Crescent Rose had a plasma blade? That'd be so cool!" Ruby fantisized.

"I can't believe _she's_ an alternate version of me." Glynda whispered aloud. Sure, she knew she scaried a lot of people, but she did care for people. She didn't know whether or not this alternate her could say the same.

From his seat in the audience, Taiyang called out to Alaric. He had noticed that the new Blue's voice was virtually identical to his own, and asked. "Was that me at the end? Sounds a lot like me."

"Another version. Church, leader of Blue Team." The Keeper responded. "Like I said, Tex and Church had history. The kind of history that's complicated beyond belief. But let's leave it at that for now."

A few others chipped in, until it was Coco's turn to speak.

"I think we need a short break. The boys might need a moment after seeing all that nut-cracking." Coco suggested, receiving affirmative nods from the rest of the audience. Alaric shrugged and let them do as they wished, whilst he took his remote out and prepared the next universe.


	20. A Snake and a Ladder

**Author's note:**

 **I have no idea why or how I became inspired to do this chapter, but, I've gone ahead and done it. There will be another chapter on Metal Gear Solid 3, a longer and more serious one, in the future.**

 **In the next few chapters, I plan to do any of the following; Endless Space 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, RWBY Chibi, Team Fortress 2, For Honor, Destiny, and Warhammer. Any, not all of them.**

 **I also got a chapter from another fanfiction, and one of my Original Ideas planned to be done as well. I haven't decided which of the previously mentioned ideas I'll do, but I'll figure it out.**

 **List of future chapter ideas that I'm most interested in at the bottom. If you don't see the ones you requested, I've written it down somewhere.**

 **I'll do the lists less frequently from now on. Like every ten or fifteen chapters.**

 **Enjoy this short one.**

* * *

 **Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - The Ladder**

"Alright everyone. You all ready for the next universe?" Alaric asked his guests as they got back to their seats.

"Yeah. I think we're good to go." Nora replied enthusiastically. That last universe had given her ideas about how to deal with people who messed with Ren and her friends. But mainly Ren. No one messed with Ren while she around.

"Right, this universe-" Alaric was interrupted when a bloody fire-tornado suddenly burst to life in the middle of the room. Everyone swiftly got onto their feet and retreated away from it.

The fire tornado continued to rage for a few seconds, until it started to weaken and eventually died down. The room was surprisingly undamaged. Standing where the fire-tornado had been was another Keeper, they wore dark-red robes, with a golden bird mask over their face. The Keeper looked around the room frantically, but when he saw Alaric, he ran up to him and desperately begged.

"Alaric! Thank the Heavens you're here! You gotta help me!"

"Phoenix? What happened?" Alaric sighed as he ran a hand over his mask. Obviously not thrilled to see his fellow Keeper.

"I got Godzilla, Mecha-Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, a Megazord, King Kong, Indominus Rex, Saitama, two Super Saiyans, a clan of Yautja, a hundred Honey Badgers, and Chuck Norris rampaging through my Repository!"

"Oh. Oh my." Alaric said after a pause. "I think I see why you came to me for help."

Phoenix grabbed the front of Alaric's robes and started to shake him back and forth. "Please help me!"

"Let go!" Alaric grunted as he pushed Phoenix off of him. "I'll help you. First, let's go get Keepers Nyx, Titania, Saint, Charlemagne, Ptolemy, and Fafnir. That _might_ be enough for us to contain this. Wait, just to be safe. Let's add Sedna, Caesarion, Miguel, and Leviathan into the mix. That should be enough, right?"

The black-clad Keeper turned to his guests and said. "Before I go, I'll set the TV on auto-play. Just so you won't get bored, and so a repeat of that incident from before won't happen again. Oh, and have an unlimited buffet table. Just think of what you want and it'll be there in an instant. Don't want to come back and find you've all starved to death."

Just as he had said, a long table replete with all kinds of foods from all kinds of places and cultures materialized near the audience.

"Can't you just send all of us back home?" Ozpin asked of Alaric. The Keeper did not bother to answer him and disappeared in a tornado of dark purple smoke, Phoenix following after him in a fire-tornado.

The moment the two Keepers were gone, the audience were left to themselves in silence. They looked around and each other, when they heard the TV began to start up, they decided to sit back down on their seats and watch what was going to happen audience decided that they had nothing better to do, and knowing they didn't really have a choice in the matter, got food and drinks from the buffet tables

"Hope Alaric will be alright. That sounded like it must be something serious." Pyrrha said aloud. A few agreed with her, while others did not really share her sentiment. Understandable really, since he had abducted them and were forcibly making them partake in this thing.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. I want to know what's gonna happen here." Yang added. She didn't trust Alaric, but he knew he was powerful, so she wasn't worried for him. Besides, some of the universes he'd shown them were rather entertaining, as well as thought provoking.

They stopped talking and turned their heads to the TV and began to watch.

 **The TV screen came to life, and they found themselves in a forest. The camera followed after a man wearing a jacket and pants that bore a camouflage pattern that allowed him to blend in with the forest vegetation around him. He also wore a dark bluish-grey body glove underneath his clothes. Around his head, he wore a bandana. In his hands was a pistol with a suppressor attachment and a combat knife.**

 **He had blonde hair and a short well-kept beard. The audience recognised him to be Jaune, leader of team JNPR.**

"Hey, Jaune. Look! It's you again!" Pyrrha said, beaming at the sight of her team leader.

"Heh, yeah." Jaune replied, remembering what happened the last time he took centre stage on the TV screen. "I look kinda cool. But, I hope this doesn't get weird super fast."

"Hmm, he's wearing camouflage on his clothes. I haven't seen anyone wear that in... uh. I don't think I've seen anyone wearing camouflage in my entire life." Ironwood admitted. When the others in the audience from Remnant thought about it, the general was right. Practically no one wore camouflage anymore.

Camouflage patterns on military uniforms and vehicles had been used in the past, especially when the Kingdoms went to war with each other. But now, after the implementation of the whole colour thing in the aftermath of the Great War, the use of camouflage like the one demonstrated to them here had disappeared almost completely from the face of Remnant.

 **Just as the audience began to speculate on the man's identity. The screen paused, and a short list of facts about the Jaune on screen appeared.**

 **Name: Jaune**

 **Other names: Jack**

 **Codename: Naked Snake**

 **Age: 29**

 **Occupation: Force Operation X (FOX) covert agent**

 **Current mission objectives: Assassinate The Boss and eliminate the Shagohod**

Jaune's face fell when he saw the codename of this version of himself. Others chuckled, and some tried to suppress their laughter at it. Some didn't bother, and laughed openly at the other Jaune's codename.

"Pfft, 'Naked Snake'? What kind of a codename is that?!" Roman guffawed at the codename. He'd heard all kinds of codenames, nicknames, and pseudonyms throughout the length of his criminal career. But this was a new one. Neo silently laughing with him.

Nora ignored Jaune's odd nickname and stood onto her feet and proudly shouted. "Huzzah! Our fearless leader is off to stop whatever nefarious plans this 'Boss' has, and save the world!"

"'The Boss'... 'Shagohod'. I wonder, who and what they are." Ozpin mumbled to himself. If 'The Boss' was known by such a nickname, what position of importance, or things had they done to earn such a title? And what was 'Shagohod'? An odd feeling made people believe it to be a weapon, but, what kind of weapon?

A weapon to surpass any on Remnant?

 **The camera, and the audience by extension, followed after Jaune as he made his way through the forest and entered a tunnel. The entrance of which was between to large rocks and built into a tall cliff.**

 **Entering it, Snake, as I shall refer to him as, found the tunnel to be dirty and wet in places. Along its walls were electric lights that illuminated parts of the tunnel. If the audience would focus, they could see a couple insects of rodents scurry or crawling about here and there.**

"Ugh, thank goodness we can't smell the places or things onscreen. That place must be terrible." Weiss stated, wrinkling her nose at the condition of the tunnel.

 **Snake jogged over to the other side of the tunnel and saw that it ended with a very very tall ladder.**

"Whoa." Sun exclaimed. "That's the tallest ladder I've ever seen. And he's gotta climb it?"

"Yeesh. I'd hate to be the people who had to build that." Neptune decided to add.

Meanwhile, Neo deciding she wanted a say in the matter, took out a sign. Written on it was, _"If he falls while climbing it. Do you think it the fall be enough to kill him?"_

Most of the audience looked at Neo in a mixture of disgust and some fear. I mean, who the hell would ask that kind of thing?

"That's a very morbid question to ask." Jeanne said to the short, ice-cream themed criminal.

 _"Well, I said it out of morbid curiosity. What of it?"_ Neo answered back, pulling another sign from out of nowhere again.

"Where's she getting those signs from?" Yatsuhashi questioned.

"I dunno. Alaric's probably behind it, somehow." Fox guessed with a shrug of his shoulders.

 **Jaune gave the ladder one look and thumbed his chin, his thoughts being projected to the audience through the speaker. _'Hm, better grab a bite to eat before I start climbing.'_**

 **That was when he, from seemingly nowhere, pulled out a snake that was nearly as long as he was tall and started to eat it raw. Right there and then. And with an enthusiasm that perturbed the audience.**

"Holy shit!" Taiyang swore at the sight of the snake. He'd been to plenty of places and done plenty of things, but he'd never eaten a snake before. And he'd never thought he'd see someone do so with such relish.

"S-s-s-s-s-snake." Velvet stuttered as she clung tightly onto Yatsuhashi's arm. As you can see, she wasn't exactly a fan of snakes.

"Ew!" Ruby cried out in disgust.

"Where did he get the snake?" Penny asked, almost nonchalantly. Some found her question to be weird, but were more focused on the screen than asking why a teenage girl was not disgusted by the sight of a snake being devoured before their eyes.

"Ugh, I don't know whether to be disgusted or impressed with myself." Jaune stated, holding his gut and trying to hold down anything that wanted to escape his stomach. Pyrrha going ahead and sitting between him and Jeanne, rubbing a hand on his back in comfort.

"Eh, I've eaten worse." Raven shrugged. She herself had eaten snakes before, and even drunk wine made from snakes. She and Qrow, when the drunk had been a part of the tribe, had also been forced to eat things that were less than savoury to the others in the audience who lived in cities. The tribe had times when their pickings were poor, or when their stores of food had to be rationed or ran out. So, Raven, and Qrow, didn't really mind the sight of Snake eating a snake raw.

 **Snake quickly ate his fill. He wiped his mouth and said to himself. "Huh. Not bad."**

 **The soldier got back onto his feet and prepared to climb the ladder. Snake took a deep sigh, and started to begin his ascent.**

 **Seconds past in silence, the only sound being made being the sound of Snake's climbing up the ladder, one rung at a time. Then a woman's voice began to sing.**

 _ **What a thrill**_

"Music?" Winter questioned, raising a brow in curiosity. There didn't seem to be any obvious source onscreen, and didn't understand why a song was being played then and there.

The others shared in her curious confusion, Oscar being the one to ask. "Uh, where's it coming from?"

"I don't think we should worry about it. Alaric probably just edited it in when he recorded this." Glynda reasoned, turning the audience's attention back to the screen with her words. However, some believed otherwise for some reason, but decided to drop the issue.

 ** _With darkness and silence through the night_**

 _ **What a thrill**_

 _ **I'm searching and I'll melt into you**_

 _ **What a fear in my heart**_

 _ **But you're so supreme!**_

"This is a good song. In my opinion at least." Weiss stated, voicing her thoughts on the song.

"Sure. But, how long has he been climbing that ladder for? I wanna see some action." Yang said, her words resonating with a few others in the audience who were getting a bit bored of watching Snake climb up the ladder.

"Hm, about a minute I believe." Oobleck estimated as he looked down at the wristwatch he wore. This caused a few annoyed groans to rise from the audience.

 **The singer, who started the song in a low voice, heightened the pitch at which she sang.**

 _ **I give my life**_

 _ **Not for honour, b**_ _ **ut for you.**_

 _ **In my time t**_ _ **here'll be no one else**_

 _ **Crime, i**_ _ **t's the way I fly to you.**_

 _ **I'm still in a dream,**_ _ **Snake Eater.**_

"'Snake Eater'? Heh-" Mercury started to speak, but was stopped when he received a mild slap to the back of his head from Cinder. He turned to his superior, who possessed a knowing look on her face as she calmly, but sternly, said to him.

"You will not finish that sentence."

"I wasn't about to say anything!" Mercury denied, but Cinder was not convinced by his words. "Ugh, whatever."

 _ **I'm still in a dream,**_ _ **Snake Eater.**_

 _ **Snake Eater**_

 **Snake finally reached the top of the ladder, and went through a door that led outside.**

 **The screen faded to black.**

The audience sat in silence for a moment, expecting the event onscreen to cut to another scene. Nothing happened though, and the audience, realizing that it was finished were not exactly pleased by it.

"Is... that it?" Kali queried, unsure of herself when she said her question.

Equally confused, Ren asked his own question. "Did Alaric just make us watch a man, uh, Jaune, climb up a ladder for the last... two minutes?"

"Sure seems like it." Qrow grunted. He, and plenty others, were not entirely amused by this. They honestly expected more.

Looking for a positive in all this, Chibi Ruby said to the others in her small voice. "The music was nice at least."

"I certainly agree with you, little one." Salem added. Chibi Ruby pouted and started to complain about the others in the audience calling her little. She looked far too adorable to take serious, and Salem could only smile at the sight of the miniature Ruby angrily waving her arms and shouting at her.

"Yeah. I think there was a message in the song." Pyrrha jumped in.

Roman rolled his eyes and voiced his own thoughts on the matter. "Message or not, that bastard just made us watch that kid eat a snake and climb a ladder of two minutes."

The audience decided, after a bit of debate, to agree to disagree on their opinions of this viewing. They did hope that they'd see more of this universe however, something more substantial than this.

As they finished speaking their minds and concluded their short debate, the TV screen began to brighten with colour. Ironwood, drawing attention back to the screen as he said. "The TV's coming back on. Let's hope he doesn't pull anything like this again."

Alaric wasn't back yet, so they had little choice but to continue watching. Despite the Keeper's absence. Sitting back down, the audience prepared to watch whatever was going to happen in the next universe.

* * *

 **Personal Ideas:**

 **\- Aliens vs Predator**

 **\- Crysis 2/3**

 **\- D-Frag**

 **\- Diablo 3 Cinematics**

 **\- Endless Space 2 - Faction Trailers**

 **\- Final Fantasy XV Kingsglaive**

 **\- For Honor**

 **\- Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There**

 **\- Gilded Guy vs Jade**

 **\- Horizon Zero Dawn**

 **\- Kingdom Hearts 3** \- _Either a trailer or the 'Don't think twice' song_

 **\- Lord of the Rings**

 **\- RWBY: V6 C3, The Lost Fable**

 **\- Stand By Me**

 **\- Templin Institute**

 **\- Total War Warhammer** **-** _Any of the faction trailers from 1 and 2_

 **\- Warhammer 40,000 -** _Either an episode of Text-To-Speech, the trailer for Death of Hope, the first segment of Space Marine, or the Lord Inquisitor Prologue_

 **Original Ideas:**

 **\- Damsel Not In Distress**

 **\- Demi-Human Students of Beacon**

 **\- The Jade Rabbit**

 ** _-_ RWBY: MMORPG**

 **Requested Ideas:**

 **\- Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better**

 **\- Asura's Wrath**

 **\- Attack on Titan**

 **\- Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **\- Avengers: Infinity War**

 **\- Bioshock**

 **\- Bloodborne**

 **\- Castlevania Lords of Shadows 2 Trailer**

 **\- Code Geass**

 **\- College Humour skits**

 **\- Deadpool**

 **\- Destiny 2**

 **\- Devil May Cry 5**

 **\- Dragonball Z**

 **\- Far Cry 4**

 **\- Fate/stay Night Unlimited Blade Works**

 **\- Fate Apocrypha**

 **\- Gundam 00**

 **\- Halo**

 **\- Highschool DXD**

 **\- Hunchback of Notre Dame - Hellfire**

 **\- Jojo's Bizzare Adventures**

 **\- JT Machinima**

 **\- Jurassic World or Jurassic Park**

 **\- Kamen Rider**

 **\- Killzone**

 **\- League of Legends -** _Either a cinematic or that POP/STARS song they released not too long ago_

 **\- Madness Combat**

 **\- Mass Effect**

 **\- Miracle of Sound**

 **\- Metal Gear Solid**

 **\- My Hero Academia**

 **\- One Piece**

 **\- One Punch Man**

 **\- Overwatch**

 **\- Pacific Rim**

 **\- Persona 5**

 **\- Pirates of the Caribbean**

 **\- Prince of Egypt**

 **\- Red Dead Redemption 2**

 **\- RWBY Chibi**

 **\- Seven Deadly Sins**

 **\- Shadow of Mordor**

 **\- Super Smash Bros World of Light Trailer**

 **\- Soul Eater**

 **\- Star Wars**

 **\- Star Craft Cinematic**

 **\- Team Fortress 2**

 **\- Transformers Prime**

 **\- Warframe**

 **\- Wilford 'Motherloving' Warfstache**

 **\- Witcher 3 - Killing Monsters**

 **\- World of Warcraft Cinematics**

 **\- Venture Bros**


	21. Demi-Human Students of Beacon

**Author's Note:**

 **Right, that last chapter was taken a bit better than I anticipated it would. List Chapters will essentially be filler or really short.**

 **This chapter's gonna be a pilot for this RWBY fanfiction that I plan to write in the future, as well as a react chapter.**

 **Started planning this fanfiction idea in late September, and started writing this chapter back in mid-October. But coming up with the OCs proved to be pain, and had to rethink a good deal of things about the plot after the revelations of 'The Lost Fable'.**

 **This fanfic idea is still a work in progress, so this is just a taste of the idea.** **Let me know what you think of this, especially the OCs. I'll put a short list of the OCs that appeared in this chapter at the bottom.**

 **For those not familiar with the term. Demi-Human refers to fantastical human-like race with physical features, traits, or abilities that are outside or beyond what of humans. Hold on. When you think about it, the Faunus _could_ count as demi-humans. ****Ah well.**

 **React chapters of If-The-Emperor-Had-A-Text-To-Speech-Device, a fanfiction, Endless Space 2 and a Christmas special are currently planned or in progress.**

 **Anyway, hope you all enjoy.**

* * *

 **Demi-Human Students of Beacon**

 **The screen came to life, and the first thing that the audience saw was Ruby, Yang, and other first-yearss for Beacon exiting their airship. The two gazed in pure awe of the sight of the Academy, and felt a strong feeling in their chests at the fact that they were here. Ruby especially, for she should have experienced what she was feeling now two years later.**

"Yes! We're back at Remnant! And we're at Beacon." Yang jovially smiled, glad to see they were back to Remnant.

"Beacon!" Nora, Ruby and Chibi Ruby cheered. Excited to see their academy again. Seeing Chibi Ruby smile like that made Weiss secretly feel an urge to hug this adorable version of her team leader. Realizing what she was thinking, Weiss lightly slapped her own cheek and shook her head.

Taiyang, recognizing the looks on the faces of his daughters onscreen, for he'd seen it on their faces when they went to new places that amazed them, said. "Hey, this is when you kids first arrived right?"

Qrow also recognized what was going on, and remembering mentions of what had happened on his nieces' first day in Beacon, smirked and added. "Hehe, this aught to be fun."

"Yes. It would indeed be interesting to see for myself your first day at Beacon, sister." Winter spoke up as well.

"I absolutely agree as well! It would be nice to see how your first day at Beacon went for you, friend Ruby." Penny excitedly said to her red-hooded friend.

Over by Ruby and Weiss, the two were sweating up a flood and nervously looked to each other. Not only had they started off their relationship rather explosively, it was going to embarrass the two of them.

"Oh my. That... I've never seen a place like it before." Jeanne said to herself, amazed by Beacon's architecture.

"Remnant?" Salem also queried. Secretly, she was reminded of the tower she was imprisoned in when she looked at the Academy. Salem had seen it from the outside only once, during a near successful escape attempt she made on her own. She acknowledged that it was different, bearing only a slight resemblance to her home/prison, and it was probably just her mind jumping around wildly.

"Remnant is the name of the world we live on. It's alright, but also kinda crazy at times." Ren answered the two blonde girls.

"I wonder... How different will this version of Remnant be from ours?" Ozpin muttered quietly to himself. As he spoke, he was secretly observing Salem's reaction to seeing Remnant.

The alternate version of his, as Qrow would put it if he learnt the truth, crazy ex didn't seem too affected, and though the question she asked might just be because of curiosity, he didn't want to let his guard down around her. He'd notice her sending glances his way, so she must feel something. But, there was nothing much the Headmaster of Beacon could do really. Not right now at least.

 **"The view from Vale's got nothing on this." Yang remarked in admiration of the sight of Beacon. Curiously, behind the two, instead of the four airships from Vale and the rest of the Kingdoms that had brought Ruby, Yang and the others to Beacon in their universe, two more airships had landed at Beacon's docks.**

"Wait a minute... Two more airships? There wasn't that many back in our universe, right?" Pyrrha questioned in confusion. The others who had went to Beacon shrugged or shook their heads. This was new.

"You are indeed correct, Ms Nikos." Glynda confirmed, having been one of the professors of Beacon who oversaw the arrival of this year's students. "I suppose this is one of the things that differentiates this universe from ours."

 **Ruby and Yang saw two more airships landing at Beacon's docks. Unexpectedly, Ruby's face lit up at the sight of the airships and excitedly squealed to her sister.**

 **"Sis look! It's the airships from Avalon and Shangri-La!"**

 **Yang, not really excited as her sister, more surprised really, put a hand on her hip and remarked. "Huh. I didn't actually think they'd send anyone to Beacon this year."**

The mention of these two unfamiliar places confused the audience. On Remnant, there were not such places known as ' _Avalon_ ', nor ' _Shangri-La_ '.

 **"Oooh. Can you imagine the weapons they have over there? I heard they-" Ruby paused mid-sentence, gasped deeply and transformed into a chibi version of herself when she looked to the people closer around them. "** **Ohmygosh, sis! That kid's got a collapsible staff! And she's got a fire sword!"**

The audience were more than a little surprised by the sight of a 'regular' Ruby turning into a chibi. Well, those who'd never seen her like this before, did anyway.

Ruby squirmed in embarrassment. She really didn't want a room full of strangers seeing her like that.

Raven let out an amused snort at Ruby's reaction to weapons. Like mother, like daughter. Roman rolled his eyes at what he was watching, he really didn't want to watch 'Little Red' and wondered when he was going to take centre stage in all this. Other's such as Cinder's group, Salem, Jeanne, and the older Belladonnas were supremely confused at Ruby's sudden transformation, the last four also being amused by her excited attitude to weapons.

Meanwhile, Chibi Ruby scratched her head and wondered if she could turn into a taller version of herself.

 **The screen cut to two other Beacon first-years who had disembarked from one of the two newly arrived airships. Particularly, the airship form Avalon.**

 **One was a tall girl, maybe the same age as Yang, standing above her. She had unkept grey hair with light brown tips, tanned skin, yellow irises, and a body to rival Yang's. She wore a tan jacket with its right sleeve torn off, a white shirt, black shorts that stopped above her knees, and sandals. Over her wrists was a pair of gauntlets with retractable blades. But that wasn't all.**

 **On top of her head was a pair of wolf ears the same colour as her hair. You could easily assume she was just any other Faunus if it weren't for the fur that covered her forearms and lower legs, and that her nails were claws.**

 **The other was a slim young man wearing a dark grey trench coat. They also wore a white shirt, grey pants with knee-high brown boots, and brown leather gloves. The boy was wearing a grey cloth mask that hid the lower half of his face and neck** **. He had pale-white skin, short white hair, and white irises**. **Sheathed at his side was a sabre that followed a _liuyedao_ design, with a Fire Dust crystal embedded in the hilt.**

 **The young man could have easily passed as a regular human if it weren't for his ears, which were elongated and pointed.**

Needless to say, the audience were rather surprised by the appearance of these two first-years.

Neptune being the one to ask the question the others were thinking. "Wait... What are they?"

"Whoa, they're kinda funny lookin'." Nora said, tilting her head to the side as she took in their every detail and feature.

"I think the guy's an elf." Blake stated, surprising the others a bit with her assumption.

"What? No way!" Sun interjected. Blake ignored him and carried on speaking. "He sure looks like one. He's got the ears of one. It's one of their most defining features."

Curious from where she knew this, Weiss asked her black-themed cat faunus teammate. "Did you get this from one of your books?"

"U-Um... yes." Blake replied with slight hesitation. The book she had specifically read had rather explicit scenes in it. Ghira noticed his daughter's hesitation and looked down at her suspiciously.

"Then what is she? She looks like a Faunus, but I got this feeling telling me she isn't." Oscar decided to jump into their conversation, prompting the others to question what she was. Her features were identifiable as relatable to a wolf's, but there was also something that made them think that there was more to her than they believe or could see.

Oobleck then stepped in and reigned in the curiosity of the students and others, though, he was probably the most interested in what the two first-years were. He was just hiding it underneath his usual fast-paced demeanour."Regardless. I'm positively certain we'll figure out what they are in time. All we must do for now is wait and observe."

 **As the two walked down the long paved avenue towards the main complex of the Academy, the two took in the sight Beacon itself, and spoke to each other. The grey-haired young woman was currently finishing what she was saying when the camera cut to them.**

 **"-And that's why I don't like children."**

The audience blinked a bit. That was an odd time to change the scene to these two. Some in the audience were confused as to why she'd say such a thing, for in their minds, kids were great. Others not so much, and were glad that there was someone who shared their thoughts on the matter.

 **The presumed-to-be Elf looked at the Faunus-like girl with a blank look on his face, and said to her. "You know, you used to a child."**

 **"I know. But I can say all that because I'm no longer one. You have to agree with me on this, Faen. They are so-"**

 **"You made your point!" The might be Elf, Faen as the young woman had called him, interrupted her. Letting out an annoyed groan at the person beside him.**

"' _Faen_ '... That's a rather unusual name. I wonder what it means." Winter mused.

"Eh, sounds like a dumb name to me." Mercury grunted, not too impressed by what they were watching right now.

Over by Torchwick, the criminal smirked at the wolfish-girl's words. Glad to see that there was at least one other person who shared in his views of children. Especially when those children want to play hero and mess up your crime-spree. Like a certain red-hooded teenage girl he knew.

 **As the two talked, a few others from the airships from Avalon and Shangri-La walked by. Each of them just as curious and bizarre as the two the camera seemed focused on.**

 **There was a** **tall, muscular and bare-chested young man with a wild mane of red-hair. Easily equal or taller than Yatsuhashi. They wore baggy, black hakama pants, a cloth sash with a tiger pattern print was worn around their waist, their forearms were covered by a pair of bracers, and in his hands was a heavy kanabo-rocket launcher. His body was adorned with a great many scars, but the thing that made them pause was the pair of horns that sprouted from just above their forehead.**

 **Another was a pale girl with flowing dark dusk-blue hair and bright orange eyes underneath a pair of dark shades that she wore. She wore a black metal cuirass over a dark-blue top, accompanied by an equally dark-blue combat skirt that fell past her knees. Dark leggings covered her legs, with a pair of boots and black greaves over her lower legs. On her forearms she wore a pair of black bracers, with equally black gloves underneath. On her back, the girl carried a bright orange lance-gun. She seemed to be rather lethargic under the early-afternoon sun.**

Everyone in the audience reacted differently to each of the people who had passed by the screen.

Ren, seeing very strong similarities between the tall shirtless teen and a creature of Mistral's folklore, rose his brow in surprise and asked no one in particular. "Was that an Oni?"

"An 'Oni'? What is that? Some sort of demon?" Jeanne questioned the green-themed Mistrali boy. Unfamiliar with what the creature was.

"Sort of, I suppose." Ren replied. "Depending on who you ask and where they're from. Oni are either something like ogres or trolls, or they're spirits that can ward off bad luck."

"He seemed _really_ strong." Yang and Raven unconsciously whispered under their breath as they admired the Oni's physique.

"What of that girl that passed by? Looked like she didn't get a lot of sun, nor did she look well." Fox queried.

Coco, being Coco, decided to use his words as an opportunity to tease the boy. "You interested, Fox? I'll admit she doesn't look bad, and her fashion sense is pretty decent. A bit too much black for my liking."

Fox looked blankly at Coco and replied. "No Coco. I'm not interested."

Ruby and Chibi Ruby had been ignoring all their inquisitive ponderings of the two others who had passed by Faen and his companion, and was fascinated by the weapons the two had carried. It took Weiss breaking a chocolate-chip cookies in front of their eyes to break them out of their stupor.

 **"Fine!" The wolf-like girl loudly grunted. "Let's move onto something else. How about this place? Real impress, right?"**

 **Faen's attitude did not change, keeping the mixture of disinterest and annoyance on his face, and replied to his companion. "Feh. Doesn't matter how impressive this place is. As long as we learn how to better kill Grimm, that's all that matters."**

 **The wolf-like girl shook her head and despondently said to herself. "Yeesh, I should have remembered who I was talking to when I asked that question."**

 **Over in the distance, the two heard an loud explosion.**

Two members of the audience recognized that sound, and instantly shrunk in their seats.

"Oh no." Weiss quietly mumbled. At least they'd been spared from actually seeing her and Ruby's little incident.

"Uuuuhhh." Was the only sound that escaped Ruby's lips. Why did she have to relive this?

Taiyang, Winter, Qrow, and a few others looked towards Ruby and Weiss. Wordlessly asking what had happened between the two. The two teenage girls had not choice but to answer, and when they finally finished their explanation of what happened, the others in the audience who knew nothing or little of Ruby and Weiss's looked at the two oddly.

"Wow." Emerald simply said.

"Man, that's more exciting than what happened when me and Neptune first met each other!" Sun jumped in. "I just asked him ' _What's up? You wanna hang out?_ ' And Neptune was like ' _Yeah, that'd be cool!_ '"

Kali left her set and tightly embraced both girls, saying. "Thank goodness the two of you are alright! You could've been blown off the cliff."

Blake let out an annoyed groan at her mother's antics, while the two girls tried to escape the older Belladonna's grasp.

Penny did some quick maths and added. "Mrs Belladonna is correct, friend Ruby. Though not likely, from the information you told us, I calculate that there was a 14% chance of you and Weiss being blown of Beacon's cliff."

"Eh... Nice to know, Penny." Ruby nervously said to Penny after Kali let her and Weiss go.

Taiyang put a hand on Ruby's shoulder and said. "Well, you kids are alright. So that little incident between you doesn't matter."

"Thanks dad." Ruby replied and went on to hug her father. Secretly, Raven was watching the entire interaction, an unknown emotion flashing through her eyes for a moment.

 **Back to the events on the TV screen, the Faen and the wolf-girl turned to the source of the explosion, and saw a small cloud dissipate in the distance.**

 **"The fraggin' hell?" Faen muttered in confusion.**

 **The wolf-girl squinted at where Ruby and Weiss were, before turning back to Faen. "That sounded exciting. Wanna see what's going on?"**

 **Faen shrugged his shoulders and walked off with the wolf-girl towards the source of the explosion. The TV screen then changed to a new scene a minute or so later. Before the audience,** **Ruby was lying on the paved ground of the long avenue to Beacon.**

 **"Welcome to Beacon." Ruby dejectedly sighed.**

 **A shadow came over Ruby, and when she looked up, she saw Faen and the wolf-like standing above her.**

 **The girl smiled at Ruby and extended her hand towards Ruby. Everyone noticed how her canine teeth were longer and fang-like. She spoke, saying. "Hey there little lamb. Saw that little spat between you and the rich girl, you alright?"**

Next to Yang, Blake's instincts told her that the girl onscreen was nothing but dangerous, same went for her mother, Kali, Velvet and even Sun. Ghira felt as if he was squaring off against a predatory animal when he looked at the girl. Oddly enough, Blake recognized this feeling she had towards this girl to be very similar to how she felt went she first met Zwei. Was this girl a dog or a wolf faunus?

"Hey, Jaune. Isn't this usually when you turn up?" Ruby asked the blonde-haired boy.

"Yeah." Jaune replied. "I should turn up in a moment."

Over by Nora, a thought came into her mind and she leapt forward. "I got an idea! Is that girl Jaune? I bet _she's_ Jaune!"

The audience looked at Nora with odd looks, the girl looked nothing like Jaune. But hey. They'd learnt a lot of things were possible throughout the Multiverse, so this girl could very well be Jaune.

 **"Name's Grey. Grey Ulric. And this bundle of laughs is Faen Tatharion. It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl introduced herself and Faen to Ruby. The girl took Grey's hand and got to her feet, saying. "Ruby."**

 **Jaune then came entered the screen, he waved at the two girls and said. "Uh, hey. I'm Jaune... Jaune Arc. I was gonna, y'know help you up, but you... uh... yeah. Hi."**

 **The two girls and the elf turned to the boy. Grey giving Jaune a quick a once over. As she did so, an intense unidentifiable emotion flashed through her eyes.**

The faunus in the audience felt some primal instinct within them make them bristle as if they had been caught in the gaze of a hunter. On the ground, Zwei and San lowered his head and whined anxiously.

Noticing their friends' and dogs' visible signs of discomfort, team RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and Neptune went over to Blake, Velvet, and Sun. Taiyang scooped up Zwei and San, and tried to calm both dogs.

For some reason, Pyrrha felt rather territorial and wrapped her arms around Jaune's arm. Causing the blonde boy's face to heat up, and nervously tried to ignore the fact Pyrrha, absolutely incredible Pyrrha, had her arms wrapped around his. Nora and Ren, who were watching the two other members of their team, looked to each other and wondered whether this might help get the two to be together.

 **"Hey. You're an elf!" Ruby cried, pointing a finger at Faen. Taking a closer look at Grey, Ruby's eyes shot wide open and said.** **"Wait... You-you... You're a Werewolf!"**

"Werewolf?!" The audience chorused. They were both surprised and more than a little confused. Jeanne,

Weren't werewolves supposed to be, you know, entirely human during the day? Wasn't it only when the full moon was high in the night sky that werewolf turned into their wolfish appearance?

 **"Ya hit the nail on the head, little lamb. Me and Faen are Demi-Humans from Avalon."**

"'Demi-Humans'? What does that mean?" Oscar asked.

Surprisingly, it was Jaune that spoke up and provided an explanation for the word. "I've heard it a few times before. It's a general term used to describe people with fantastical traits that make different from Humans. Plenty of times their based on mythological sources."

"Where'd you learn that?" Nora asked her fearless leader.

Jaune nervously rubbed the back of his head and answered after a pause. "Uhhh... I-I played more than a few video games with Demi-Humans in them."

"Hm. So in this universe, creatures from out legends and folktales are... real." Cinder surmised. During the time she spent not planning something, or training, or trying to not kill Tyrian, Watts, and Mercury, she'd done her fair share of reading. A couple books she'd read were of mythological creatures that had arisen throughout the many cultures and civilizations of Remnant. If this was true, then there must be hundreds of different types of Demi-Humans.

"And there's two Kingdoms of people like Faen and Grey?" Ironwood muttered. Imagining the possible benefits and drawbacks of having two additional Kingdoms on the face of Remnant. A few others wondering the same thing, or something along those lines.

"It would be quite the thing to see. Can you imagine the kind of culture such civilizations could have formed over the centuries? The history that their civilizations have created over the years? The number of books they've written?" Oobleck excitedly said, jumping to his feet so quickly he left an after-image of himself on his chair. It took Port putting a hand on his colleague's shoulder to calm the green-haired man and sit him back down.

 **"Wow! I've always wanted to meet a werewolf!" Ruby excitedly cried. She zipped her and there, looking at each of Grey's wolf features. From the young woman's ears to her fur-covered arms.**

 **"C'mon, the main hall this way." Faen grunted to the three others as he began to walk towards the main complex of Beacon. Grey following after him, though she paused for a moment to wait for Ruby and Jaune to catch up. Ruby and Jaune looked at each other and shrugged, and decided to follow after their new acquaintances.**

 **As they walked, the four chatted away. To no one's surprise, except those who didn't know her, Ruby started the conversation about weapons and showed off Crescent Rose, while Jaune meekly displayed Crocea Mors.**

"Of course you would talk about weapons." Weiss said, rolling her eyes when she saw the Ruby onscreen unfold Crescent Rose into its scythe form.

Most of the new arrivals rose their brows in surprise at Ruby's weapon. Kali and Ghira were kind of used to seeing all manner of crazy weapons that the younger generations tended to use these days, though, the sight of a weapon as unique as Crescent Rose did throw them off slightly. Raven, more accustomed to the crazy transforming weapons of the present day was unfazed by it all and took a drank some sake.

On the other hand, Chibi Ruby was squealing at the sight of Crescent Rose. Even though it was larger than hers, and was from another universe, it was still her baby, and she wanted to reach out to the TV screen and grab hold of it. Salem and Jeanne were amazed by Crescent Rose, the latter having seen more than a few weapons in her short life, but she'd never seen one like Ruby's sniper-scythe.

Crocea Mors was not too impressive, but the audience could appreciate a classic when they saw one. The good old sword and shield combination had been used by a great many warriors throughout the history of Remnant and other worlds, so they felt some respect for someone who went into battle with just that.

 **Ruby looked towards Grey and asked. "So, Grey. Can you show us your weapon? Is it those gauntlets you're wearing? Can you show it to me? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseple-!"**

 **Grey smiled and rose her arms and pressed a button on her gauntlets. From the inside of the gauntlets, three claw-like blades emerged from them. Ruby's eyes turned as large as dinner plates and a wide smile was present on her face, same went for the Ruby and Chibi Ruby in the audience. Jaune jumped back in surprise at the blade's sudden emergence from Grey's gauntlets.**

 **"Think that's it? Watch this." Grey pointed the front of her gauntlet towards the wall of the inner ring of colonnades around the courtyard, and, with a press of a button on the underside of the gauntlet, one of the blades shot from its slot. Ruby and Jaune looked on in amazement at this. In the distance, the four and the audience saw the blade almost cut a black bird that was flying by in half, before embedding itself into the wall.**

"Whew. Birdie's okay!" Ruby let out a sigh of relief for the bird's narrow death-experience, but then remembered what had happened during Initiation. "No wait... Awww."

 **Grey then proceeded to press a button on the side of her gauntlet, purple energy surrounded the gauntlet and the four onscreen, and those watching, saw the blade remove itself from the wall and come hurtling back to Grey. Purple energy surrounding it too. A quick moment later, Grey was able to catch the claw-blade and gently returned it to its position on her gauntlet.**

 **"That's incredible!" The red-hooded girl squealed. It almost looked like she was about to faint from pure awe.**

*THUD*

"Ruby!" Yang, Taiyang, and Weiss cried. Though the Ruby onscreen hadn't fainted, Ruby and Chibi Ruby had.

"Did they just faint?" Salem asked, concern in her voice as she too came to the two Rubys side.

On the floor, the two Rubys could be heard whispering to themselves despite their unconscious state. "Cool... weapons..."

The TV screen paused, somehow, it must have detected that two members of the audience had become unconscious. The audience, well, most of them, decided to wait for the two to wake up. Some decided to go back to the buffet table and grab something to eat or drink. Others kept vigil over the two Rubys. When they did recover, the audience got back to their seats and continued watching.

 **Grey sheathed her gauntlets' claws and turned to Faen, and, with a wink, said. "Faen? You gonna show them yours? I showed them mine."**

 **Faen had an uninterested look on what little of his face they could see. But, he silently complied and unsheathed his sabre from its scabbard. It was simple in the way that it didn't transform into anything else, like Jaune's sword. It's guard and pommel were made of silver, the grip was wooden and wrapped in leather, the blade was single-edged and moderately curved. The red Fire Dust crystal in the guard shone brightly in the sun.**

 **"Nice knife, freak." An all too familiar voice to the students and staff of Beacon called out to the four.**

"Oh no." Velvet mumbled. Knowing just who it was that the voice belonged to.

"Egh. He's a douche in this universe too? Why am I not surprised?" Yang grumbled to herself.

Pyrrha, Blake, Coco, and a few other members of the audience glared at the screen. Meanwhile, Nora felt a strong hankering to break some legs.

"Um, who are you talking about?" Kali questioned the Beacon students.

"He's called Cardin Winchester. This guy's a major bully, bigot and racist towards Faunus. Now it looks like he's discriminatory towards Demi-Humans." Blake explained to her mother.

Over by Jeanne, she had an odd feeling about that name. There was just something to it that didn't sit right with her. Something that made her not like him.

 **Sure as the Sun and Sun is hot, butting into the group's conversation was none other Cardin Winchester. His mace hung at his belt, and a douchebag grin of arrogance on his face. Yep, it was Cardin.**

 **"Couldn't believe the Councils decided to officially let _monsters_ like you into the Academies." Cardin sneered at the Grey and Faen, putting emphasis on the word 'monster'. "You should've stayed on your island. Those Faunus were bad enough, now we got monsters like you walking all over the place."**

 **Faen's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed at Cardin's words. His sabre in hand, Faen took a step towards Cardin and snarled in a low voice. "If you have a problem with my being here, I suggest we resolve this issue in an arena."**

 **Cardin snorted at Faen, and shot back. "Pfft. A poncey elf threatening me? One hit from my mace will be enough to break your Aura, and your spine."**

 **"Hah! As if a _creature_ like you could possibly land a strike on me." Faen spat back at Cardin.**

 **The two glared at each other. The air was filled with tension. And it seemed that to everyone watching that a fight could break out in any moment.**

"Yes. YES! Break that turd-stain's legs, Fan!" Nora shouted at the TV screen, as she shook one fist furiously at the Cardin onscreen. Wishing she could reach into the TV and do it herself. Ren was tightly holding onto her arm to stop her from trying to do exactly that.

"Nora, his name's Faen." The pink-eyed boy corrected his highly excitable friend.

Nora turned her head to look at Ren and, falsely, replied. "That's what I said."

The few in the audience who had suffered thanks by Cardin's hands frowned in anger at Cardin, and rather admired Faen's decision to stand up to him.

 **Faen began to raise his sword-arm, Cardin started to reach for his mace, while Grey readied her clawed-gauntlets. But the three were stopped when a female voice cut through the air.**

 **"Ahem! What, may I ask, is going on here?"**

 **Everyone and the camera looked to the source of the voice and froze at the sight of who the voice belonged to. Stood a small distance away, and quickly approaching the small group, was a tall woman in a greyish-brown three piece suit. An olive-green scarf was wrapped all around her head and face, apart from her eyes, and a white clay mask depicting a beautiful woman was worn over her face as well. Strangely to the audience, something seemed to writhe underneath the woman's scarf.**

 **Faen and Cardin stepped away from each other. The former and Grey went on to stand up straight and bowed their heads to the approaching woman, saying. "Professor Taupe."**

"A professor? Of Beacon?" Glynda said in surprise.

"Hm, I don't recall there ever being a woman going by that name ever being in Beacon." Port thought aloud, stroking his glorious moustache as he spoke. Ozpin nodding his head silently in agreement with the Grimm Studies Professor.

"A new member of your staff." Ironwood muttered to Ozpin. "She must be another one of the ways this world's different from us."

 **The very presence of Professor Taupe seemed to inspire a sense of, not fear, but anxiety in all those present. Okay, maybe a tiny bit of fear, with a sprinkling of awe. As soon as she came within a few paces of the Beacon first-years, she planted both hands on her hips and assumedly, no one could tell under that mask of hers, glared at them all. A hissing sound was heard from underneath her scarf.**

Oscar heard the hissing sound from her scarf and turned to the rest of the audience, asking them. "Did-Did anyone hear that? Or was it just me?"

"No, I think I heard it too." Jeanne replied, perplexed as Oscar was as to why and where she had heard it.

"Y-Yeah, totally! Just for someone who doesn't hear it, uh, what do you guys hear?" Mercury asked, doing his best to pretend, rather unconvincingly, to know what the previous two had been talking about. Emerald rolling her eyes at him.

Ghira, recognizing the sound, spoke up and evenly said. "I think it was a snake hissing."

"She keeps a snake under her scarf?!" Weiss shrieked, recoiling at the idea.

"I don't think that's it, Weiss." Winter interjected, calming her younger and only sister.

"Yeah, I think I heard _multiple_ snakes." Qrow cheekily added, causing Weiss to freeze at the very thought of a person having multiple snakes on their head, and Winter to slap Ruby and Yang's druncle in the face.

 **"Yes yes, I know who I am. Now, what is going on here?" The professor sounded like she was in a bad mood. Or at least, that's what the audience thought she sounded like. It might just be she always sounded like this. Who knew?**

 **"N-nothing, ma'am." The five first-years replied. An obvious lie.**

 **The face of Professor Taupe's mask turned to each of those present. Scrutinizing each of them closely and thoroughly. An alarm rang from the masked professor's pocket. She fished out her scroll from her jacket and turned off the alarm, before turning back to the first-years and saying. "You all have five minutes until the Headmaster's speech. I recommend you hurry over to the main hall."**

 **"Yes, Professor." The five first-years said in unison, though Cardin spoke as he grit his teeth. The first-years walked off in silence towards the main hall of Beacon, Professor Taupe watching them go. As soon as they had gone through the doors, she turned away and walked offscreen.**

 **The screen going dark a moment later.**

"Man, she was scary. I don't know why, but I say she's one of the scariest people I've seen." Sun remarked, plenty of the audience agreeing with the monkey faunus. "That Tex woman being number one."

The audience also agreed with him on that last point. Tex was a _very_ scary woman. Particularly to the male portion of the audience, they did not want to get into a fight with her.

"But what was she?" Ren wondered aloud, catching a few other audience members off guard with his question.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked the only other male member of Team JNPR, shifting a little for Pyrrha was still clinging onto him, for reasons he couldn't tell. The red-haired girl almost seemed to be comfortable with her position.

Ren thumbed his chin as he answered his team leader's question. "I mean... We've seen an elf, a werewolf, an oni, and that tired girl who I'm sure is a demi-human. I'm certainly that Professor Taupe's also a demi-human, but what kind is she exactly?"

"Wait, look! It's not over yet." Penny yelled to the other members of the audience, pointing a finger at the TV screen. The secret robo-girl was correct, for the screen brightened with colour again.

 **Faen, Grey, Ruby, Jaune, and Cardin walked into Beacon's noisome main hall. Cardin walking off and away from the other four.**

 **"C'mon Grey. We've wasted enough of our time." Faen muttered to Grey as he turned and walked to a vacant space amongst the crowd.**

 **Grey shook her head and followed after Faen. Taking a moment to turn her head and wave goodbye to Ruby and Jaune. "See you guys later! Take care little lamb!"**

Yang narrowed her eyes at Grey's retreating form and said with some irritation. "I really don't like how she's calling Ruby 'little lamb.'"

 **"Uh, see you later, Grey!" Ruby waved the werewolf goodbye. As Grey disappeared into the crowd of students, Yang emerged from said crowd and called out to her little sister.**

 **"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!"**

 **"Oh! Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" And with that, Ruby was off. Leaving Jaune all on his own.**

 **"Hey wait!" The blonde boy tried to stop Ruby, or at least talk to her some more. But the red-hooded girl was already gone. Slumping his shoulders and letting out a despondent groan, Jaune continued to speak. "Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"**

 **Jaune walked offscreen as he finished speaking. As he did, standing out from the crowd like an angel, or a star, atop a Christmas tree, was Pyrrha. She noticeably watched Jaune leave with an interested glint in her eye.**

"Ooh… Is P-Money interested in Vomit Boy?" Yang teasingly remarked.

"Come on, Yang! Stop calling me Vomit Boy!" Jaune complained at Yang's use of the nickname he had earned on his first day at Beacon. His cheeks reddening slightly at the suggestion that Pyrrha, the same Pyrrha who had her arms wrapped around one of his and was pressing rather closely against him, could possibly have any kind of interest in him. They were friends. Good friends.

Pyrrha... didn't deny nor confirm Yang's words. And was currently wondering whether to come out into the open about her feelings to Jaune, or just hold on a little longer.

"She is definitely into him." Qrow whispered to Taiyang. The blonde single-father of two agreeing with his brother-in-law. How Jaune couldn't see it was something that they, and plenty of the other members of the audience couldn't understand.

 **Back to the two Demi-Humans Ruby and Jaune met.** **Grey was able to catch up to Faen so she could walk beside him. The grey-haired young woman frowned at Faen and said. "Not even a day in Beacon, and you nearly get into a fight with a human."**

 **Faen turned his head slightly, and responded, saying. "He insulted me, you, and our peoples. For a insulting me, I'll beat him in combat. For insulting you, I will humiliate him. For insulting our people, I break his weapon-hand."**

Plenty of the audience were taken aback by how far Faen was willing to go to punish Cardin for the asinine words he had said, and thought it to be rather much for a few insulting words. Though, a fair few liked his way of thinking, though, some of them liked it because it meant Cardin could get his ass handed to him somewhere in the future.

"I like this guy." Nora stated with a wide grin on her face.

"Same here." Sun spoke up.

Even Raven hummed in approval of Faen.

 **The werewolf rolled her eyes, and said. "Bloody hell, knife-ear. That bastard's a fangless flea. All bluster, no bite. And besides, what should _his_ opinion matter?"**

 **"Formless words or not. He still did us insult. And for that, he suffers." Faen sharply responded, his eyes narrowing as he finished speaking.**

"A very... aggressive young man. I must say." Ozpin remarked, disapproving of Faen's needless desire to avenge himself on Cardin all because of some insults.

"An awfully dark thing to say, in my opinion." Salem added.

"Yeah, no kidding." Qrow grunted. "This kid's got some issues. That or he's just an asshole who can't take a few mean words."

Yeah, most of the audience were starting to feel rather uneasy about Faen. Some wondered whether he was actually sociopathic. While some, like Neo, was starting to like Faen.

 **Grey shook her head in disapproval of her friend, but decided not to argue any further. Changing the subject to something else. "Heh, at least our confrontation with that jackass allowed us to see Professor Kallisto Taupe."**

 **Faen immediately responded by saying. "If by 'see' you mean come 'close to paralyzing us for the next hour', yeah."**

"Hmm, this Professor Taupe seems be somewhat famous." Ironwood surmised from the Grey's words and the way she spoke about the masked professor. Plenty of people in the Kingdoms treated some of the more noticeable of Huntsmen and Huntresses like celebrities or living legends. The famous 'Grimm Reaper' being an example of one. It seemed this Professor Taupe shared in this treatment.

"Wait, what did he mean by 'paralyzing us for the next hour'? Are they talking about that professor's Semblance?" Yatsuhashi thought aloud. The others in the audience also questioned what Faen had meant, and assumed, like Yatsuhashi had said, that his remark was related to Taupe's Semblance.

Ozpin, ancient reincarnating guy that he was, recalled legends of creatures with snakes for hair and turned people to stone when someone looked at these creature's horrifyingly hideous faces. Taking a guess, Ozpin believed that Taupe must be one of those creatures.

 **Grey slapped her hand onto her face and, irritated with her friend's attitude, groaned before saying. "Ugh. Stop being such a downer already. We met Kallisto Taupe! One of the first Demi-Human Huntresses! You gotta admit it was kinda cool, right?"**

 **Faen let out a tired sigh, before proceeding to pinch the bridge of his nose, and said. "I suppose you're right about that."**

 **"Of course I'm right." Grey cut in with a smug grin on her face. Faen's face softened slightly and continued to speak some more.** **"Sorry about that, Grey. I'm just tired is all."**

 **Grey's mouth took a teeth-filled smile. She put an arm around Faen's shoulder and said.**

 **"Don't worry about it. I forgave you for accidentally setting my family's kitchen on fire, right?" Faen's face returned to the expression of icy irritation he'd worn previously, with an addition of a 'are you serious' look in his eyes. "I mean, sure my family hasn't forgiven you. And my mom wants to skin you alive for accidently breaking that vase grandmother gave to her. But I'm still here for you."**

 **Faen and Grey stood and looked at each other in silence for a long moment. The silence between the two broken when Faen said to Grey. "I. Hate. You."**

"Huh. Accidently setting parts of a house on fire? Breaking valuables belonging to the parents of a friend? Where have I heard that before?" Taiyang said, turning his head to face Qrow when he spoke. His mother had practically forbidden Taiyang from ever letting Qrow anywhere near her home after his first visit. To cut long story short, crappy bad luck Semblance results in crappy things happening.

"Man, can you imagine living with werewolves? That'd be crazy!" Nora yelled for all to hear.

"Yeah. Crazy, and dangerous." Blake mumbled. Being a cat faunus, she would not exactly be thrilled by the idea of spending time living with half-men, half-wolves. Friend or not.

 **The TV screen cut to the main stage of the hall. Ozpin was standing before a microphone, Professor Goodwitch beside him. The Headmaster came closer to the microphone so that his mouth was only a few centimetres away from it, and began to address the assembled first-years.**

 **"I'll... keep this brief. You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."**

 **And with that Ozpin walked away from the microphone, Goodwitch quickly taking his place and saying into the microphone.** **"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."**

"That was the induction speech you guys got?" Neptune asked Team RWBY and JNPR.

"Yeah. What did you guys get?" Yang replied.

Sun shrugged and said. "Eh, Headmaster Lionheart talked about being brave and some such."

Cinder, Emerald and Mercury shared a look. A speech about bravery, from Leonardo Lionheart. The irony.

 **Faen and Grey silently watched Ozpin leave the room. The elf then went ahead and turned to face the werewolf, and said to her.** **"And you called me a downer earlier."**

 **The screen faded to black.**

* * *

 **If you are aware of any mistakes in the meanings of their names below, please notify me.**

 **OCs:**

 **Faen Tatharion** _(Sindarin; Faen = Radiant, White / Tatharion = Willow, Son of)_ \- Elf

 **Grey Ulric** _(Last name means 'Wolf-Ruler')_ \- Werewolf

 **Name Pending** \- Oni

 **Monica Dusk** \- Vampire

 **Kallisto Taupe** _(First name means 'Beautiful')_ \- Gorgon

 **Anyway, please let me know what you think of this.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	22. Love Actually

**Author's Note:**

 **This is my little Christmas present to you all. A short chapter featuring a song sung by none other then Bill Nighy in a 2003 movie called 'Love Actually'. And trust me, plenty of what I wrote during the singing scenes are based on actual scenes from the movie. Though, of course, I added a few things here and there.**

 **Whether or not Remnant celebrates Christmas or their own equivalent doesn't matter. I'll just say that they do.**

 **A few more things before we get into the chapter. Next chapter will be If-The-Emperor-Had-A-Text-To-Speech-Device. The one after might possibly be either Fate/stay Night Unlimited Blade Works or Fate Apocrypha. About time, right? For Fate, you can recommend a specific scene, if you want.**

 **I've also begun working on work on 'Demi-Human Studenrs of Beacon'. I plan to make it into an actual fanfiction in the near future.**

 **For those who don't celebrate Christmas, all I can say is have a happy and productive day. For those who do, have a Merry Christmas.**

* * *

 **Love Actually - Christmas Is All Around**

"Well, that was an interesting universe." Ozpin stated as soon as the screen faded to black. It was interesting to another version of Remnant again. It didn't seem too different from their own, apart from the inclusion of humanoid creatures from Remnant's mythologies.

"At least it wasn't too weird. It was actually kinda fun to watch." Oscar spoke up, voicing his own thoughts on the last universe. It was a bit weird, but not to the extent of some of the other universes they'd seen.

Ruby agreed with Oscar and added to the conversation. "Yeah, I liked it too."

"I'm not sure I did." Pyrrha quietly harrumphed, the red-haired champion having finally decided to let go of Jaune's arm. Though, she still felt rather territorial about Jaune ever since seeing that werewolf lay eyes on him.

No one else had really heard her, so they continued on with their conversations. Some decided to head on over to the buffet table to grab a quick bite to eat and something to drink. To their surprise, the cloth table cover was now red and lined with white. On the table itself was an assortment of foods that would be traditionally served during Christmas. The food included oven-roasted turkey and chicken with stuffing inside, spit-roasted pig, roast potatoes, gravy, brussels sprouts, sausages, potato salad, white sponge cake, fried-chicken, gingerbread cookies, mice pies, and other such foods that were served during Christmas across Remnant.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea of the kind of foods that were on the table. That and because listing down all of that food just made me hungry.

The audience were unclear why the buffet table had taken such a festive turn in its options. They decided not to question it too much and took what food they wanted and headed back to their seats. They were able to finish their food in a generally calm manner, Nora and Yang almost initiating a food fight, but was stopped thanks to the intervention of Goodwitch and Ironwood.

As the audience finished their food, the screen started to come back on.

"Oh hey, the TV's starting up again." pointed towards the TV screen. The audience settled down and got ready to watch what was going to come up next.

 **The screen came to life, and there, inside what appeared to be a recording studio, was none other than Qrow Branwen.**

 **To the surprise of many in the audience, and the horror to others, he was seated before a microphone and wore a pair of headphones. That could only mean one thing, Qrow was going to sing!**

"Damn it!" Qrow dejectedly sighed. Singing again? Why was he singing? In that last universe, his singing wasn't so bad, but it might be terrible in this one.

Ironwood cracked a smile at this and jokingly said. "You're going to sing again? Hmm, maybe this is a sign that you should take up a career in music, Qrow."

"Throw yourself off a cliff, Jimmy!" Qrow snapped at the Altesian General. He was gonna need a lot more alcohol right now.

"This is going to be like when you tried to sing karaoke in that Christmas party we were invited to." Raven added with an amused look on her face. She had a recording of her brother singing back in her tent. Qrow responded to Raven's comment by raising his middle finger at his sister.

"Dear god! What the hell is that shirt he's wearing?!" Coco screamed.

 **The Qrow onscreen wore a shirt probably one or two sizes too large for him. Not only that, but the pattern printed on it looked like someone had decided to give a blindfolded man a paintbrush and told him to paint Vincent Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night'. He also wore blue denim jeans, and sandals, which weren't so bad. Still, that shirt though.**

 **Music began to play in the background as Qrow leaned forward and began to sing into the microphone.**

 _ **I feel it in my fingers,**_

 _ **I feel it in my toes,**_

 _ **Christmas is all around me,**_

 _ **And so the feeling grows.**_

"Wait, you're recording a Christmas song?" Ruby asked. She, unlike a majority of the audience, didn't mind seeing her uncle onscreen and singing.

"More of ruining Christmas." Winter mumbled under her breath.

 _ **It's written in the wind,**_

 _ **It's everywhere I go,**_

 _ **So if you really love Christmas,**_

 _ **C'mon and let it snow!**_

 **The screen suddenly went white...**

"What the-?" Was the general response of the audience to this.

 **... and when the white faded away, Qrow was no longer in the recording studio, but on a stage with a background of snowy mountains. Fake snow raining down from above. This time, he was wearing a three piece suit consisting of a dark-blue jacket and pants, and a white shirt.**

 **Behind him were six women in skimpy red and white outfits, and playing all manner of instruments, from guitars to a drum. Only a couple of them being recognizable, them being Lisa Lavender and Sienna Kahn! The other four were, though the audience didn't know it, adult versions of Team NDGO from Shade Academy.**

The transition between the previous location and to this one was not expected by the audience. What they were seeing even more so.

The audience were surprised by Lisa Lavender's appearance, having not anticipated that Vale's most noteworthy news anchor would ever show up in another universe. But nothing shocked the audience more than the sight of Sienna Kahn, _the_ Sienna Kahn, the current High Leader of the White Fang, being one of Qrow's backup dancers.

"Oh hey. It's Lisa Lavender." Pyrrha pointed out to the lavender-haired woman. "People say she and I sound alike."

Some of the audience thought on this, and when they listened to Pyrrha's voice and compared it to the times they'd heard Lisa Lavender tell the latest big story, they realized that she was right. Ren being the one to express this collected revelation into audible words. "Hmm, I can't believe I didn't notice that earlier. But you do sound like Lisa Lavender."

"Is that... Sienna?" The previous High Leader of the White Fang, Ghira, found it hard to imagine that an alternate version of his successor being a backup dancer. Especially for a human.

"Wait... Sienna? You mean _the_ Sienna Kahn?!" Sun cried in disbelief. He'd never seen even a picture of the tiger faunus High Leader. But he'd heard a couple whispers here and there, and Blake had told him a bit about the incumbent High Leader of the White Fang. He thought Kahn to be a crazy bitch, and that her idea to 'earn' Humanity's respect through fear was idiotic. Right now, he was conflicted on how he was supposed to feel about seeing her.

"Yes Sun. That's Sienna Kahn." Blake affirmed the monkey faunus' shocked words. She too was conflicted on how to feel about seeing Kahn onscreen. She'd probably never look or think of Kahn the same way again.

Neptune, seeing the other four women looked at them with intrigue and asked. "Hey. Who are they? Just asking out of curiosity."

Surprisingly, it was Professor Port who answered the young man. "Team NDGO, I believe. An friend of mine from Shade Academy told me about them. Quite a skilled team of fine ladies if they're to be believed. But, I'm certain any one of the teams from Beacon, and taught by yours truly, could trounce them easily enough!"

 _ **You know I love Christmas,**_

 _ **I always will,**_

 _ **My mind's made up,**_

 _ **The way that I feel.**_

 _ **There's no beginning,**_

 _ **There'll be no end,**_

 _ **'Cause on Christmas,**_

 _ **You can depend**_

"Y'know, the lyrics aren't bad. They're pretty good in my opinion." Velvet spoke up.

Penny wholeheartedly agreed with Velvet, and turned her head towards Qrow and complimented the Huntsman. "I absolutely agree. And this you has a good singing voice, Mr Branwen."

"Uh... thanks." Was Qrow's best response.

Mercury, little douche that he was, and not really liking the song and Qrow's singing, butted into and began to make a scoffing remark. "Really? You think _he_ sounds good? He sounds like an old man-"

Qrow's crystal glass flew and struck Mercury in the side of his head, stopping the boy from continuing. Mercury's Aura was able to stop the glass, but he let out an involuntary 'ow' as it hit him. The glass reappeared back in Qrow's hand half-a-second later. The veteran Huntsman saying something he'd repeatedly said to his nieces, brother-in-law, few friends, and several opponents he'd beaten in bar fights and actual combat.

"Don't call me an old man."

 _ **You gave your presents to me,**_

 _ **And I gave mine to you,**_

 _ **I need Santa beside me,**_

 _ **In everything I do**_

"Dear god, I think this is also a love song!" Oobleck guffawed. He, Port, Ozpin, Ironwood, and Glynda could hardly believe that they were hearing Qrow sing a Christmas song about love of all things.

"Yup, this is just like that Christmas party. But this time you actually sound good when you sing." Taiyang smirked at the memory of that party. He'd made Qrow sing karaoke as part of a dare, and didn't really think he'd actually do it. Taiyang was certain that he had a recording of it somewhere in the house, but had somehow lost it after Raven left.

Qrow really _really_ wanted his weapon, Harbringer, in his hands right now. Or maybe a stronger drink. Yeah, a strong drink would be better in his eyes.

 **Once again, the screen was engulfed in white and the stage was not different. The wall at the back was now a greenish-blue field with Qrow's symbol painted at the centre of the wall. And the six backup dancers were now only wearing skirts, bras, high heels, and Santa hats. They were also dancing around tall poles.**

Anyone who was drinking something instantly spat it out, or started to choke because it accidently went the wrong way. Plenty of others were lost for words.

How else were they supposed to react to another such sudden change?

 _ **You know I love Christmas,**_

 _ **I always will,**_

 _ **My mind's made up,**_

 _ **The way that I feel,**_

 _ **There's no beginning**_

 _ **There'll be no end**_

 _ **'Cause on Christmas,**_

 _ **You can depend**_

 **A guitar was thrown over to Qrow from offscreen, the man easily catching it and beginning to do a guitar solo. And for some reason, long jets of fire erupted from the ground in front of Qrow.**

"Okay. I was willing to stand the pole-dancing backup dancers. But, I'm questioning why there's jets of fire in a Christmas song about love?" Coco said with a shake of her head.

"Maybe it represents the _burning_ love between people?" Yang suggested.

No one, absolutely no one in the audience laughed at Yang's terrible attempt at humour, well at least Taiyang chuckled. Even the newcomers were not amused. Raven facepalming at learning her daughter had inherited Tai's atrocious sense of humour.

Neo clapped slowly and sarcastically at Yang's terrible pun, while Roman shook his head and said. "Real jokester, aren't ya blondey?"

 _ **'Cause on Christmas,**_

 _ **You can depend**_

 **The fires stopped, and Qrow through the guitar offscreen. The lights faded so that the background behind Qrow was barely visible, while Qrow remained illuminated by a couple stagelights. Two ground level stagelights came to life, letting out two beams of pale-blue light above Qrow's head. A kind of blue disco ball effect was going on as well.**

 ** _It's written on the wind,_**

 ** _It's everywhere I go,_**

 ** _So if you really love me,_**

 ** _C'mon and let it show!_**

 ** _C'mon and let it show!_**

 **The TV screen began to alternate between different scenes with different people on it.**

 **First, a woman that could only be Salem and a man with tanned skin and brown hair slowly coming closer together until their lips finally locked with the others.**

 **Second, showed Raven giving Taiyang a quick peck on the cheek.**

 **Pyrrha was shown grabbing Jaune's face and pulling him into a deep kiss, much to the latter's great surprise.**

 **Ruby sprinting past a crowd of people at an airport and launching herself at Penny as the robot-girl left the arrival gate. The two hugging each other tightly as soon as they were close enough.**

 **Ironwood was at his desk in Atlas Academy, he looked tired and was going through various Christmas greetings he'd received when he stopped and let a smile grace his lips when he came upon one sent from Glynda.**

 **Weiss and Winter were shown happily speaking to each other over their scrolls.**

 **Nora and Ren sitting together on a bench in a park, holding each other's hands as they watch snow fall gently around them.**

 **All of Team CFVY were together in what looked like a bar and rose their glasses together before downing it all.** **Oobleck and Port were also in the same bar as Team CFV, the two of them singing Christmas carols together and as loudly as they could.**

 **Blake was sat in the living room of the Belladonna residence and reading a book. Sun, Yang, and Ilia were peeking over her shoulder to try and read with her. Kali, Ghira, and even Neptune were there watching the four in amusement.**

 **Cinder groggily woke up from bed and found a gift-wrapped present lying on the beside table next to** **her. A label on it saying it was from Emerald and Mercury.**

 **And finally Roman and Neo were sat in an ice cream parlour, the two of them silently eating ice cream while Shopkeep nervously served them both. Roman wearing a Santa hat over his feathered bowler hat.**

Of course, reaction to all those scenes were various. Some of the audience were too embarrassed to look at each other, for example; Jaune and Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. Others such as Team CFVY, Roman and Torchwick, Oobleck and Port, were alright with what they saw as they were displays of their friendship. A couple showed displays of affection to another member of the audience, Penny tightly hugging Ruby and Chibi Ruby.

And then there was Ozpin and Salem.

Ozpin was alarmed to see his first incarnation, Ozma again. And kissing Salem before whatever changed her to what she was now. All manner of emotions and memories crashing down on him like a massive tide from the ocean.

Salem was surprised to see herself together with that unknown man. True she thought him to be rather handsome, but him and Salem being so intimate caught her off-guard. She also noticed that she wasn't in her tower. Had she escaped? Did that man help her?

 ** _So if you really love me,_**

 ** _C'mon and let it_**

 ** _If you really love me,_**

 ** _C'mon and let it_**

 ** _Now if you really love me_**

 ** _C'mon and let it show!_**

 **Qrow and his backup dancers were now standing together. Once he was done singing, the dancers sensually rubbed a hand on Qrow's shoulders, chest and back. Qrow fixed the collar of his shirt, and winked towards the camera, before turning his back to it.**

 **The screen going dark a moment later.**

The audience remained silent for a long time. Taking a good while to finish processing what they'd just watched.

"So." Ruby started, not really knowing what else she should say. Her cool druncle Qrow sang a great Christmas song, but everything else she'd seen she wasn't sure how to describe or feel about.

"That was... interesting." Fox calmly said with a pause.

"Yeah..." Emerald started, dragging the word for a bit.

"Interesting." Qrow finished.

"I believe we may need a moment to ourselves." Ozpin stated. His face and voice straining at his attempt to hide how mentally and emotionally perturbed he was internally.

"I agree with you Oz." Ironwood agreed with the immortal Headmaster of Beacon.

With that, the majority of the audience left their seats and dispersed into their own little groups. Plenty of them going to the buffet table to grab something to eat. The food was delicious. A couple staying where they sat. This universe giving them all a few things to think about before the next one started.

Particularly their relationships with certain other members of the audience.

* * *

 **Hope you all have a Merry Christmas everyone. And let the people you love, or are close to you, know that you care for them.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	23. TTS: Primarch Pessimism

**Author's Note:**

 **Hola everyone! I hope you're all doing well. It has been a bit, but here we are. Plenty of things have happened since I last updated, yeah?**

 **2018's passed and gone. Now we are in 2019. Good luck to you all this year.**

 **Quite a bit happened in RWBY. Gotta love Maria, expect her to join the audience soon, and I like Oscar's new look. That Pyrrha monument was... quite something to see, and the Red-Haired Woman. Hmmm.** **Oh, and Cordovin's giant mech is a... well, it is quite the unexpected surprise.**

 **For my brothers and sisters-in-arms who play For Honor, have you all seen the latest hero reveal? 'Misfortune comes uninvited'. Hoo boy, better start saving up on steel, because Ubisoft's gonna make us pay a metric tonne of steel to unlock the new hero, as usual.**

 **And I must say, I- * _Looks at Favourites and Followers count.*_ Oh-Oh my. Well this is unexpected. Nearly 500 favourites, and over 600 followers? Well, time to fire the Celebration Cannon.**

 _ ***Fires Celebration Cannon. Shooting confetti everywhere***_

 **Bugger, this is gonna be difficult to clean. Anyways. Many thanks to those who have shown their support of this fanfiction. I do not really know what else to say, but thanks everyone.**

 **Now, I have to admit to you all that ti** **me between updates _may_ become longer due to general life stuff, and because I am working on another fanfic. I have published the first two chapters of 'Demi-Human Students of Beacon'.**

 **Yay.**

 **I'm still a fledgling author, so it is not going to be of a quality like those fics by Coeur Al'Aran or any other great fanfic writer. But, if it interests you, check it out if you want. I am not pressuring you to do anything.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse.**

* * *

 **If The Emperor Had A Text-To-Speech Device: Primarch Pessimism**

As the audience finished whatever food or drinks they had, their empty plates, glasses and cups, and the buffet table disappeared. The buffet table returning to the food stuffs that had covered it before the previous universe they watched.

A few were still rather affected by what they saw in that last universe.

For one, Salem felt inexplicably drawn towards that man who she had seen herself be quite... close to. And strangely, she thought that she could see that man in Ozpin. Salem abruptly shook her head. What was she thinking? It was probably nothing, or some ailment was making her see things.

Raven ardently refused to make eye contact with Taiyang.

Blake had her face planted into the palm of one of her hands, her cat ears trying to flatten themselves against the top of her head. The cat faunus was also sandwiched between Yang and Sun, who had wide grins on their face. Kali looked on with an amused smile, while Ghira looked on in disapproval.

Roman was frowning at Neo. The pint-sized, uh, girl or woman snickering at the image of Torchwick wearing a Christmas hat over his usual bowler one. It had been an odd sight.

Penny was now sat beside Ruby, Team RWBY's couch expanding to accommodate the robot-girl. On her face was plastered a joyous smile after watching her friend, Ruby, hug her in the way she had in the last universe. A couple in the audience who saw the look on her face thought it was kind of creepy how she was able to retain that smile for so long, but didn't think twice on it. No wait, why would think of _not_ thinking twice on it? Those who saw her face, and were not aware of her robot status, started trying to figure out why Penny was so strange.

Over by Pyrrha, she was no longer embarrassed. Her heart was filled with absolute resolve. She was going to openly declare her feelings for Jaune by taking action and kissing the blonde boy. If one Pyrrha could do it, so could she. She shifted in her seat and started to raise her hands, planning to renact what she'd seen her counterpart do.

Suddenly, the audience heard a loud knocking sound come from the room that Alaric kept his cleaning supplies.

The audience cautiously approached the door, and as soon as one of them laid a finger on the doorknob, the door exploded, knocking everyone to the floor. When they looked back towards where the door had been, they beheld a strange sight.

Standing where the door had been, was a giant warrior, easily standing at around 2.1 metres (7 feet), encased in bulky silver armour with surprisingly large pauldrons. In his right hand was an immense sword, a sword nearly as long as the warrior was tall. A shield bearing a symbol of a sword behind an open book was held in his left. His face was aged, and possessed a moustache and goatee of grey-hair. When the audience looked into the warrior's eyes, they saw immense power reflected back at them. Not only his size, but the sheer immensity of his presence made the audience shrink ever so slightly before the warrior.

They stood in silence, the audience taking up defensive poses, while the silver-armoured warrior just stood there. A far away look in his eyes. It was Ghira who broke the silence, asking the silver warrior.

"Pardon me, but who are-?"

"SILENCE!" The silver-armoured warrior commanded. His loud voice echoed across the room and reverberated off the walls. The audience could not help but do as the warrior said, "I am Kaldor Daigo! Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes! Successor of Janus! Son of Titan! Bane of all things Chaos! Slayer of many billions of Daemons! Wielder of the _Titansword_! Unfailing servant of the Emperor of Mankind...!"

"Those are some... interesting titles you have, Mr Draigo-" Ozpin tried to say, but was interrupted by Draigo.

"...And the patron saint of all high-quality razor blades and shaving cream!"

The audience were stunned into silence once more. His list of titles had sounded rather impressive so far, but the one he had finished with made them question the truthfulness of the titles he had previously stated he possessed. Killing a billion 'daemons', the Grimm of Draigo's world the audience concluded, sounded rather unbelievable. Even the most seasoned and skilled Huntsmen had not slain Grimm anywhere near that number.

"What?" Emerald quietly whispered.

"Mr Draigo… sir?" Jaune chipped in. The blonde boy, and the rest of Team JNPR and Jeanne, jumped in their seats when the Grey Knight twisted his body to face Jaune with surprising speed for someone in such bulky armour.

"YES?" Draigo yelled at the boy.

Jaune, recovering from the shock of Draigo's sudden turn towards him, asked the giant and old warrior. "Uh... well... How did you get inside Alaric's cleaning supplies storage room?"

"A wizard never reveals his secrets!" Draigo replied. Confusing the audience to no end.

Draigo reached over his shoulder, somehow, and pulled from nowhere the decapitated and pulverized head of a giant avian daemon. The warrior threw the head onto the floor and sat on it as if it were a simple chair. He then went on to produce a remote like the one Alaric used from nowhere, of course it was larger to accommodate his bulkier physique, and started pressing buttons randomly.

The audience were, quite understandably, frightened by the sight of the creature's head, a creeping sensation of wrongness emanated from it and clasped its hands around the audience's hearts. A couple of them could have sworn that one of the decapitated head's eyes followed their every movement.

"You're doing this with Alaric's permission, right?" Weiss questioned the Grey Knight, though, she really doubted that he was.

"Who is 'permission'? I do not know him!" Draigo blurted out in response.

Before anyone could formulate response to Draigo's odd words, the TV screen sprang to life.

"Welcome to my universe!"

 **The TV screen brightened to the scene of an immense throne room, all of its walls covered in gold. Atop a golden throne that had a multitude of cables and machinery attached to it, was a human skeleton taller than even Draigo, with some sort of bionic eye over one of its sockets. Standing at the base of the throne was a warrior in armour similar yet different to Draigo's. Different because his armour was golden and more ornate, he wore a tall red-plumed helmet, carried a spear with a gun below the blade, and wore red robes over his armour.**

 **Time paused, and two annotations appeared on the warrior _and_ the skeleton!**

 **The annotation on the golden warrior said the name was ' _Little_ _Kitten_ ', and that they were an alternate version of Oscar. Alongside that were a few extra details about _'Kitten'_ , saying loyal to a fault, that he was a genetically augmented child soldier, and that he _may_ have a thing for blue-skinned, red-haired aliens. **_("THAT IS NOT FUCKING CANON!")_

 **The annotation on the enthroned skeleton called it ' _The Emperor of Mankind_ ', and that the skeleton was an alternate version of Ozpin. Additional notes said that he was at least 50,000 years old, a great general, brilliant scientist, but a giant asshole, and terrible father. It was also stated that he was the official ruler and, unintentionally, the sole god of the Imperium of Man. A cruel, oppressive, and incredibly bureaucratic galaxy-spanning empire. The very opposite of what he had intended.**

"Uh, why are they keeping a skeleton on a throne?" Chibi Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side as she did.

As was the way with practically Draigo had said and done, the Grey Knights Supreme Grand Master roared out an incredibly shocking answer. "That skeleton is my father!"

"What?!" The audience cried out in alarm.

"Or grandfather. Mother? I forget sometimes," Draigo mumbled. Scratching his head with tip of his sword as he did. How he had not yet stabbed himself was anyone's guess.

"I'm starting to think this guy's got more than a few screws loose," Coco whispered to the rest of her team. Her friends and teammates nodding in agreement with her words.

"'50,000 years old'? Man, I can barely imagine how anyone can live for that long," Sun remarked.

"Yeah, that's crazy," Neptune added.

Ozpin looked on the enthroned skeleton and felt a good deal of similarities with this version of himself. Ozpin himself had posed as a god in an attempt to unite the divided Humanity he had returned to. This one had declared himself 'The Emperor of Mankind', and was the central figure of worship for an empire the size of a galaxy. That last one was something inconceivable to Ozpin and everyone else. Ozpin was incredibly saddened when he saw that this version of himself was also described as a 'terrible father', and his empire went against the ideals he, the Ozpin in the audience and the one onscreen, strove for.

"Why's my name 'Kitten' in this universe?" Oscar awkwardly asked. Both dreading the answer he'd get, and the reaction of the other members of the audience to the other Oscar's name.

"I wouldn't be worrying about your name," Ironwood somberly said. A few of the audience looked on the Altesian general in curiousity. "You're a child soldier in this universe, young man. That means you must've been forced into becoming a soldier when you were still a child."

"Before he could even walk in fact!" Draigo shouted. As could be expected, the audience were more than a little shocked by this statement. In fact, they soon became enraged after hearing this bit of information.

"Y-You're not serious, are you?!" Oscar hesitantly asked Draigo.

"I am very serious," The madness that plagued Draigo suddenly clearing. No longer shouting and spouting nonsense, he sounded as he looked. An ancient and worn warrior, but still strong and full of conviction towards the cause he served, "Kitten and his comrades were taken early in life, surgically and genetically altered and trained to be the finest warriors of the Imperium so that they may loyally protect the Emperor. They were taken earlier than myself, I believe. I cannot remember when, but I believe I was, at most, twelve standard years old when I was taken in by the Grey Knights."

Plenty of the audience were aghast at the news that Draigo.

"They were 'surgically' altered when they were still toddlers?"

"Genetically?"

"To be warriors?"

"That is just wrong!"

"Hmmm."

"How can the people of your empire allow such a thing to happen?"

Draigo snarled at them, a cold gleam in his eyes as he jabbed a finger towards the Beacon staff, and Ironwood. "Do you not teach and encourage youths, not even adults, to fight a war against the ravenous, unending tide of Grimm? Why do you do this? For the sake of your people's survival."

Draigo then faced the young Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training. "You! You may say that you chose to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, the defenders of Mankind. But what choice do you truly have? Would you willingly turn away from such a solemn duty, knowing that if you do not take up your weapons, the Kingdoms you live amongst will be one less defender? A defender who could saves hundreds of lives through their actions alone?"

"You may find this to be cruel and immoral. But Little Kitten, myself, and the thousands of others embrace, have embraced, and will embrace this fate. And forsake whatever future we may have had as mortal men to not only serve the Emperor. But to ensure Mankind's survival in a universe of nothing but darkness and war."

"But-" Ruby tried to protest. Surely there must be a better way.

"Humanity's survival comes before everything else. Even the freedom and lives of the individuals that make up Humanity. Choose to rage against the Imperium's methods if you wish, but remember why we do what we have done and will continue to do," Draigo's eyes became unfocused. And he bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Chimney fruit!"

It seemed that Draigo's bout of lucidity was over, and had now fallen back to the depths of madness. Shaken by Draigo's words, plenty of the audience were struggling to accept what Draigo had said about his world and their own, while others silently accepted the grim reality of his world, and maybe their own. audience continued to watch the TV screen.

 **"So, um... I didn't know you could contact people through telepathy like that," The golden warrior, or Kitten, awkwardly said to the skeleton.**

 _ **"I WAS ABOUT TO THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE ON STOPPING THAT INQUISITOR. BUT THEN I REMEMBERED HOW HEADACHINGLY RETARDED YOU ARE. OF COURSE I CAN CONTACT PEOPLE TELEPATHICALLY. I'M THE MOTHERFUCKING EMPEROR,"**_ **t** **he corpse on the throne, Ozpin or the Emperor as he was known here, rudely said to Kitten. His voice robotic and sounding like it was from a text-to-speech device.**

"Wait, he's still alive?" Yang questioned. Confused as to how a person could possibly still be alive in spite of how atrophied their bodies had become.

"Yes! The Golden Throne my Emperor sits upon keeps his body barely alive, and his soul anchored to material world," Draigo explained. The audience still had some questions though, Fox being the one to ask the most important one.

"How does it do that?"

Draigo responded to Fox's question whilst he examined his facial hair on the blade of his sword. "You put a thousand human psykers in a giant blender, and feed the resulting mix to the Emperor through a tube!"

Again, the audience were shocked, but really doubted whether that was how the Golden Throne's life support systems worked. Winter being the one to express this to the Grey Knight Supreme Grand Master. "What? He is a skeleton, how is that-?"

"I do not know how it works! That's just how I think it goes!" Draigo interrupted Winter. The audience looked to one another and silently agreed to take any word Draigo said whilst in his mad state with a good deal of salt.

"So, they don't actually sacrifice thousands of people to keep him alive. Right?" Neptune asked, hoping that it was not true. Draigo paused before replying, taking a paper straw out from nowhere, before he answered Neptune.

"Oh yes they do! Every single day I must add!"

Okay, the audience had prepared themselves to hear that it was true. But they were not ready to hear that a thousand humans were sacrificed to keep Emperor Ozpin from dying.

"Every single day?!" Many of the audience shouted in unison.

"Why?" Glynda questioned Draigo. The blonde haired professor struggled to fathom such an act and the reasoning behind it. This Emperor may be important to the Imperium, but surely he could not be so important that they were willing to kill a thousand of their own citizens just to ensure his decrepit body bore a small flicker of life?

Draigo gave no answer, and simply went on to sip from the straw. The straw was not even inside a cup, but he just kept sipping on it.

 **"Ah, ummm… So, why haven't you ever done that earlier? Like, before the text-to-speech device was implemented?" Kitten spoke. So the Emperor was using a text-to-speech device to communicate. Raising an important question as well. If this version of Ozpin was capable of telepathy, why had he not used it to communicate?**

 **The Emperor replied, his voice monotonous, but the audience had a feeling that if it were possible, his voice would be full of irritation. "I** _ **HAVE, YOU FUCKING CHIQUITAMAN. QUITE A FEW TIMES, IN FACT."**_

 **"Oh really? Huh, I haven't heard anything at all."**

 _ **"HAVE YOU EVER USED TELEPATHY?"**_ **The Emperor asked Kitten.**

 **"N-no, I haven't sir. I'm not a psyker… I think." Kitten paused and lowered helmed head lowered in thought, trying to think of times where he might have displayed any psychic abilities.**

 **The Emperor took advantage of this pause, and promptly said to him. _"THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY NOT AWARE THAT USING TELEPATHY TO COMMUNICATE LIKE THAT CAN BE REALLY STRAINING ON THE MIND."_**

"An understandable reason to not use it, I suppose," Ghira muttered.

"Hmmm, I wonder what it'd be like to have telepathy. Is there a Huntsman with telepathy as a Semblance?" Penny asked the older members of the audience.

"Not that I am aware of. No," Doctor Oobleck spoke up after a short moment spent in thought.

 **Kitten was slightly confused by the Emperor's statement and asked him, "But my Lord, aren't you the greatest psyker in the galaxy? Shouldn't a little bit of telepathy be like taking a casual killing stroll through a field of unarmed Eldar to you?"**

 _ **"IT WAS EASIER IN THE PAST WHEN MY PSYCHE WASN'T RAVISHED TO LUNACY AND SPLINTERED BY THE ENDLESS AGONIZING TORMENT I RECIEVE FROM SITTING ON THIS THRONE. SLOWLY BUT SURELY I AM HAVING MY SOUL TORN APART BY THE ENTROPY OF THE WARP WRITHING AGAINST THE POWERS OF MY MIND WHILE MY BODY DECAYS IN PERPETUAL PAIN AND I AM FORCED TO LIVE EVERY SECOND OF IT."**_

 **"E-endless torment, my lord? Lunacy? Your soul being torn apart? Waaaah?" Kitten said, struggling to understand and comprehend what the Emperor had just told him.**

"That-That's... horrible," Jeanne thought aloud, several others in the audience saying something in agreement with her.

"It's physically and mentally excruciating!" Draigo shouted from his seat, dragging out the word excruciating as he did. Making everyone jump in their seats at his sudden outburst.

As soon as she recovered, Salem said to the Grey Knight, a small hint of irritation in her voice. "I think we could infer that on our own, Mr Draigo,"

"If it's so terrible, why are they keeping him on that throne-thingy? Wouldn't it be better to, you know, pull the plug on this guy?" Qrow voiced his own opinion on the matter. He was not really fond of the idea of Ozpin's alternate being the Emperor of such a screwed up empire, but he also disapproved of prolonging a person's suffering like that. It sounded terrible, but he believed it would be better to turn off the Emperor's life support systems.

A thought that several in the audience agreed with.

"The Golden Throne is not just a form of life support, little pumpkin stegosaurus! It serves as a beacon for the Imperium's method of faster-than-light. Only the Emperor is strong enough in mind to keep it lit," Draigo explained, his sane mind emerging again slightly. Though, his arms were spinning like windmill blades.

"So that's why the human sacrifices happen," Nora remarked. Though another thought came to the audience's mind, especially those who were into a lot of sci-fi stuff.

Jaune, being one such individual, scratched his head and asked. "Wait, what kind of faster-than-light-?"

"Ask no more silly questions, talking hand! Keep watching!" Draigo interrupted the blonde huntsman-in-training. Zwei and San having perched themselves on top of his massive pauldrons somehow.

 _ **"YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMIND ME ABOUT WHAT I JUST SAID YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE. I'M NOT THAT SENILE JUST YET."**_ **The Emperor stated to his golden, pointy-helmed caretaker.**

"Yeesh, he's got a mouth worse than a sailor's. I should know, I stowed away on a ship, once," Sun said aloud. The monkey faunus then noticed that a few in the audience were looking at him funny, especially Ghira, while Blake was facepalming. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Yang leaned over to the rest of her team and whispered to them. "He might not be senile, but he sure sounds like a grumpy old man."

The rest of Team RWBY nodding in agreement with Yang.

 **"I didn't know it was like that, my lord. I'm so sorry!" Kitten quickly apologised.**

 _ **"ISN'T IT OBVIOUS? I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE ON THIS FUCKING THRONE FOR 10,000 YEARS SLOWLY ROTTING AWAY WHILE CONSTANTLY POWERING THE ASTRONOMICAN AND FIGHTING OFF THE HORRORS OF THE WARP AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S NO WALK IN THE FUCKING PARK, YOU DIPSHIT. JUST SITTING STILL WITHOUT MOVING FOR THIS LONG IS HORRIBLE. CAN YOU EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGE THE MUSCLE CRAMPS I HAVE EXPERIENCED? ALSO, MY NOSE HAS BEEN ITCHING LIKE A LAWN MOWER EVER SINCE I WAS PUT HERE."**_

"He doesn't have a nose, well, anymore at least." Weiss said in confusion. How could he feel his nose itching? Was it a phantom sensation, like the phantom pain you feel after losing a limb?

 **The Emperor kept speaking.** **" _IT_** _ **DOESN'T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE, BUT IT JUST KEEPS ITCHING. AND I KNOW EXACTLY WHO TO BLAME FOR IT."**_

 **A quick transition, and the TV screen now showed a scene in an anarchic hellscape of ever shifting colours and hues. Two entities were present on screen.**

 **The appearance and shape of one of the entities constantly shifted and changed, and appeared differently to each of the audience. But, for the readers' sake, I shall describe it as something resembling a blue, confused mollusk, with long spindly legs and the wide, douchey grin of a troll on it's primary face.**

 **The other was a bloated and decaying pile of pestilence and disease. Pustules, blisters, boils, festering sores, and other bodily signs of ailments and disease riddled its sickly green body. Its grotesque head was as disturbing to look at as the rest of its body. The entity had no nose, its two beady eyes glowed with red light, two horns protruded from the sides of his head and one above his forehead. Its wide gaping mouth set in a merry smile filled with yellow teeth.**

Needless to say, everyone in the audience were shocked by the appearance of the two entities before them. As they looked on the troll-faced blue mollusk, they found it difficult to focus their thoughts anything, and started to feel rather dizzy the longer they looked on it. When they looked on the bloated disease bag beside the blue mollusk, they could feel themselves actually get sick, vomit threatening to shoot out from their mouths.

Draigo was unaffected by whatever was happening to all of the audience, and, upon noticing their worsening state, tapped one of his boots on the floor twice. As soon as he did, whatever was happening to the audience stopped. "Oops, don't want you losing your sanity or vomiting your intestines out of your mouths just yet!"

"What-What the hell are they?!" Roman questioned the Grey Knight. Before he took a drink of alcohol from his glass, trying to get rid of the taste of vomit from his mouth. Beside him, Neo was rubbing her temples in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing pain she had been feeling there.

"The mollusk is Tzeentch, while the fat one is Nurgle. Tzeentch is a scheming, troll of a nerd. He challenged me to solve a thousand-faced rubiks cube once. It was a close one, but I solved it in one second," Draigo said, a hint of pride in his voice when he mentioned that last part.

The sound of a 'thousand-face rubiks cube' was hard for the audience to imagine. The speed of which Draigo said he had completed was insane. Pyrrha being the one to turn to Draigo and ask him.

"How could you solve something that complex so quickly?"

Draigo did not answer her, but went on to talk about Nurgle. "Nurgle is an incredibly smelly sack of disease and pestilence, though, he's a very friendly guy. He and I have tea sometimes, though I burn his garden on the way out."

"That's horrible!" Velvet spoke up. Draigo waved her off and replied.

"It's alright. He just regrows it, and invites me for tea again anyway. Oh, and his garden is filled with every disease that has ever existed, from smallpox to the dreaded crotchrot!"

"Crotch-what?!" The audience yelled in surprise.

"Yes! Crotchrot!" Draigo yelled even louder than the audience had.

The audience shuddered and tried their best to stuff the thought of crotchrot away into the deepest and darkest recess of their mind. Struggling to do just that, Oscar asked Draigo.

"O-Okay, so what exactly are they?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Draigo beamed at the boy and started to say. "Well, crotchrot is-"

"Not crotchrot! The two things onscreen!" Raven fortunately stopped Draigo from continuing.

"They are two of the major gods of Chaos."

"Gods of Chaos?" Salem muttered in alarm. She had never seen the gods of her world before, but she had an idea of what they looked like. But the appearance of these 'gods' were unlike anything she had ever imagined gods might look like.

"They're gods?" Ozpin quickly exclaimed. They looked more like demonic creatures in his eyes.

 **"Nurgle, I hate you and everything you stand for..." Tzeentch said to Nurgle. He spoke with multiple voices, many of them were high-pitched, but all of them sounded mischievous and incredibly annoying. "...but phantom itching is probably the best thing you ever invented!"**

 **"Soon enough, the Anathema won't stand the succulent itching *SLURP* in his decaying body anymore." Nurgle said, more to himself than to Tzeentch. His voice _was_ fatherly, but it was overshadowed by how he sounded like he was coughing or gurgling copious amounts of phlegm as he spoke.**

 **"And then he'll explode, destroying mankind and then he will join us as a new Chaos God! JUST AS PLANNED!" Tzeentch went on to maniacally laugh. It was actually hard to listen to because of how disturbing he sounded.**

"Would that actually work?" Ren asked Draigo. Cringing at the sound of Tzeentch's laughter.

Draigo, in a very Draigo-like manner, replied saying.

"Maybe! Might be! Possibly! Hopefully? Wait, no! No! No idea!"

 **Suddenly, another of the four major Chaos Gods burst into the scene. And they were both captivating and repulsive to look upon.**

 **Their body was perfect and flawless. Elegant beyond mortal imagination. And hauntingly beautiful to behold, bewitching in fact. A tall pair of intricate horns rose from its head, flowing pinkish-white hair fell past their buttocks, their face androgynous and seductive. The rest of their lithe body was distinctly feminine in appearance, their smooth bare skin coloured pink.**

 **"OOOH! All this excitement and torment is getting me SO DAMN HORNY! Anyone of you, please ram this chainaxe deep inside me and rev it as hard as you can!" The Chaos God squealed in ecstatic joy, their voice a meld of male and female. From nowhere, the Chaos God pulled a giant axe, with a chainblade in place of a bladed axehead.**

"What the fu-?" Tai began to say. He did not know why, but the longer he stared at the third Chaos God's face, he was starting to see Summer and Raven's face in place of the one the Chaos God actually wore. The others in the audience were similarly affected.

For example, the god's appearance in Pyrrha's eyes started to appear more masculine, and their face resembled Jaune's. Ironwood saw Glynda. Kali and Ghira began to saw each other in the place of the god. Ozpin saw Salem before her change into what she was now. Ruby and Chibi Ruby saw the god's face replaced by... Crescent Rose?

What?

It was not just the sight of the god that was dragging the audience into a trance. All of their senses began to be assaulted. Weiss could hear voices, both familiar and unfamiliar, whisper words of praise and adulation. Meanwhile, Cinder could hear thousands of whispered voices worshiping her. Blake could smell the faint scent of fish ramen teasingly tickle her nose. Coco could taste the finest coffee she had ever tasted overwhelm the tastebuds at the tip of her tongue. Zwei and San could feel phantom fingers scratching the top of their heads and rubbing their bellies.

Draigo tapped his foot again, and the audience were able to break free from the enchanting sensations they were quickly becoming slave to.

"S-Stop staring at her!" Blake yelled to the rest of the audience, covering her eyes as she did so.

"That's a he," Draigo abruptly and calmly announced. The sound of glass shattering could be heard somewhere.

"'He'?" Mercury repeated.

"Yes! Slaanesh and the other Chaos Gods don't really have genders, but Slaanesh is often referred to as a he! He like to hold parties in his giant nightclub. They're full of drugs, loud music, deviant sex, more drugs, and torture!" Draigo said. Ignoring the disturbed looks on the face of the audience. "I go to the nightclub with a giant wolf friend every once in a while to either burn it down, or blue ball the daemons!"

"I-I-I don't think we need to know more, Draigo," Yang said to the Grey Knight. She liked to go to clubs late at night, but that one was a club she wanted to stay a thousand kilometres (roughly 621 miles) away from. Maybe even forty-thousand kilometres (24854 miles) away.

 **The sound of heavy footsteps was heard somewhere offscreen, followed shortly after by a booming voice.** **"Who in the everloving MOTHERFUCKING COCKBISCUITS STOLE MY CHAINAXE?!"**

A terrifying wave of anger burst from the screen and went on to sweep over the audience. In their hearts, feelings of anger and a desire to kill began to blossom like flowers in spring. A tap of Draigo's foot stopped the audience before they attempted to tear each other apart.

"T-That was?" Yatsuhashi asked, disturbed by the realisation that, for the briefest instant, he had wanted to kill his team.

"Khorne! He is the Chaos God of Blood and War! He has an intense skull fetish, and is so powerful that he's got his own brand of cereal!" Draigo answered. Confusing the audience at the mention of that he had a cereal brand.

"Cereal?" Cinder said, baulking at idea of such a god having, of all things, a brand of cereal.

"Khorneflakes! Milk for the Khorneflakes!" Draigo produced several boxes of said cereal from his goatee, and pressed them into the hands of the audience. "If you're lucky, you might get a skull in the box, or a chainaxe!"

Looking at the box cover, they saw a figure in power armour coloured blood-red and brass holding a bowl of Khorneflakes in his armoured right hand, while his unarmoured left hand was giving a thumbs up. Scrawled in what looked suspiciously like dried blood were the words ' _Khorneflakes_ ' with a large _K_ , and the words _'Product Approved by Kharn'_.

Most of the audience put the cereal boxes away, the boxes fading away seconds later. Nora, however, tried to subtly open the box that was handed to her, but was stopped by Ren.

 **Transitioning back to the Emperor's throneroom, Kitten, his head sunk in respect to the Emperor, began to say.**

 **"Oh, my Emperor. To think that you suffered this absolutely atrocious fate to keep mankind alive. You truly are the graceful guardian of our entire species."**

 _ **"THANKS, I GET THAT A LOT,"**_ **the Emperor replied, "S** **O** _ **YES, SITTING ON THIS THRONE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME IS ABSOLUTELY GRADE-A FUCKING AWFUL."**_

 **"No wonder you're using profanity all the time!" Kitten went on to say, annoying the Emperor to no end.**

 _ **"SHUT UP YOU FUCKING COCK-STODES AND FUCK MY FUCKING NOSE IS KILLING ME FUCKING DAMN IT."**_

"Yes, he sure does swear a lot," Oobleck mumbled to himself. Their Ozpin rarely ever swore, so it was a bit hard for those who knew him to hear this alternate of him swear so much.

 **Kitten uncomfortably mumbled for a moment before a thought came to mind. "** **I know, let's change the subject! Maybe that'll get your mind off it!"**

 _ **"DO IT FUCKING FAST. I'M FEELING A GIANT WARP STORM INCOMING."**_

 **"I... Uuuuhhh... so how about those traitor legions, huh?" Kitten said to the Emperor after a long moment silently spent in thought. This, it turned out, was a poor choice of conversation topic. For the moment those words escaped Kittens lips, the entire throne room they were in began to shake. And when the Emperor spoke again, his computerised voice of the Emperor was distorted as if it were full of rage.**

 _ **"SERIOUSLY? YEAH, THANKS FOR REMINDING MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!"**_

 **A bright green light burst forth from the Emperor's skeletal remains and enveloped the entire screen and throne room. Kitten was able to let out a shriek of alarm as the light overwhelmed him. The screen then turned to static for a while.**

"Uh, what happened there?" Jaune asked, concerned for Kitten and hoping that Oscar's alternate was okay. At the same time, he was curious as to why the Emperor had flipped out like that.

"The Emperor became angry." Draigo responded, most of the audience to roll their eyes at him.

"We could see that. I think he actually meant to ask _why_ he became so angry," Emerald said to the mad Grey Knight. Driago shrugged his shoulders, becoming sane for a short moment, and explained to Emerald and the audience.

"Long story short, the Emperor had twenty sons, called the 'Primarchs'. Created in test-tubes with his own genetic material. He lost them for a while, but found them again. Then, Horus betrayed the Emperor and screwed everything up!"

So one of Emperor Ozpin's sons betrayed him. That was saddening to plenty of the audience, especially those with families. For Ozpin, this hit him hard. Very hard. It seemed that even in other universes, his family would fall apart.

"How badly did he screw everything up?" Sun questioned Draigo.

"So bad that it is the reason why he is now a vegetable stuck on the Golden Porta-Potty, and the Imperium is the way it is!" Draigo replied, quickly slipping back into his insane personality. It would seem that he would lapse between madness and sanity from time to time.

"Oh. Very badly then." Sun said after a short pause.

"My calculations estimate that to be an understatement, Sun Wukong," Penny remarked.

 **The screen returned to normal. The throne room was thankfully intact, and Kitten, who was getting up from the floor appeared to be unharmed.**

 **"Aowawuaawuu... Uh-uh uhm... Am I still alive?" Kitten groaned as he got back onto his feet. He looked out dazedly before examining his armoured body to make sure nothing was broken or where it shouldn't be. "Oh damn, I'm still alive!"**

 **It was then that Kitten noticed the green light emanating from where the Emperor was sat. Looking up to the Emperor, Kitten saw that around him, green energy flickered and crackled.**

 _ **"MAGNUS, FULGRIM, PERTURABO, MORTARION, LORGAR, KONRAD, ANGRON, ALPHARIUS OMEGON AND FUCKING HORUS. MY SONS, CREATED IN THE LABORATORIES OF LUNA. MADE OUT OF MY VERY OWN GENES. TO THINK THEY WOULD EVER FUCKING BETRAY ME."**_

Plenty of the audience were disheartened to hear that almost half of Emperor Ozpin's sons had betrayed him.

"They must have had reasons to betray him," Roman spoke up. Earning a few frowns from the other members of the audience. "What? Come on, no one betrays anyone for no reason. Trust me here."

Roman did raise a point, but since it was Roman and the point itself was terrible, the audience were not going say they liked it.

"We'll... keep that in mind," Glynda said, her eyes were narrowed as she looked on Roman.

 **"W-well, my lord, ar least Leman Russ, Ferrus Manus, Vulkan, Rogal Dorn, Roboute Guillliman, Sanguinius, Lion El'Jonson, Jaghatai Khan and Corvus Corax remained loyal to you!" Kitten said with a stutter, listing the names of Emperor's nine other sons.**

 _ **"THAT'S STILL NOT FUCKING GOOD ENOUGH. I MEAN, I WAS A GREAT FUCKING FATHER TO ALL OF THEM, EVEN IF THEY ALL HAD THEIR OBVIOUS FLAWS."**_

"Eh, if you say that it's probably a sign that you aren't." Taiyang muttered quietly to himself.

 _ **"MAGNUS BEING A NERDY FUCKING BOOKWORM AND A PSYKER NOT EVER BEING ABLE TO STAND UP TO THE BROTHERS WHO BULLIED HIM OVER IT."**_

 **A picture of a giant of a man, easily around or over 3 metres (10 feet) tall, with red skin, a mane of red hair. The man, Magnus, wore a suit of red and gold armour over his torso, legs, shoulders, and forearms, with an accompanying headdress with cheek-guards. The iris of his right eye was amber, while his left eye was closed and surrounded by scar tissue. The red giant had one hand raised, strange energies bursting from the hand in the form of pinkish-purple lightning.**

 **Annotations appeared, saying Magnus was a male alternate of Cinder. The annotations also stated that Magnus was a powerful sorcerer, was open-minded and compassionate towards the discriminated, yet incredibly arrogant, was played like a fiddle, and a giant nerd.**

As soon as Cinder laid eyes on her counterpart, a massive jolt of pain erupted in her left eye. The half-Maiden clenched her teeth and covered her left eye with one of her hands. Few people noticed this, but Emerald and Mercury most certainly did.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" Emerald urgently whispered to Cinder.

"I'm fine," Cinder responded, waving off her underling's concern. Emerald and Mercury did not immediately turn away from their boss, but a look from Cinder's uncovered right eye made them slowly turn away. As soon as they had, Cinder pulled her hand away from her eye and, to her shock, saw blood coating her palm.

She could still see from her left eye, but when she felt around it with her fingers, she found blood falling like tears from her eye. Quickly, she used the bang of hair that usually hid her left eye to hide the disturbing sight of blood from everyone else.

Cinder liked that this version of herself was powerful, but was displeased to learn that he was apparently manipulated by someone else, second in power to Ozpin's alternate, who was also the genetic father of her alternate. But what irritated her the most was that he was picked on despite his power. And why was he a 'giant nerd'? What was that supposed to mean?

 _ **"FULGRIM BEING A SISSY FUCKING BROWN NOSER WHO WOULD RATHER ENDULGE HIMSELF IN HIS SECRET QUEST TO ATTAIN MORE FABULOUS HAIR THAN ME. TO THIS DAY HE HAS NOT SUCCEEDED."**_

 **A new picture appeared on the screen. This time of a man in exquisitely crafted pale-blue, white, and silver armour, the armour was spotless and polished to a near mirror-like sheen. Fulgrim's lush silvery-white hair fluttering in the wind. He was stood before rank upon rank of perfectly organized formations of smaller warriors in armour following his own colour scheme. A look of smug pride on his face as he gazed upon his warriors with ice-blue eyes.**

 **The following notes stated that Fulgrim was an alternate version of Weiss. And that he was a preening, perfectionist, peacock. But was a pretty great dude, if you lived up to his ridiculously high standards, to hang around before he became a overly dramatic and hedonistic bitch. More disturbingly was the information that Fulgrim cut off the head of his best friend.**

"What the-? You've got to be kidding me! My alternate self is surely not like that!" Weiss yelled at the screen. She refused to believe that this version of herself, who looked absolutely stunning and fabulous in her eyes, to be the person that he was described to be.

"W-Weiss," Ruby's voice spoke up from beside her. Turning to face her team leader, Weiss noticed that her Ruby and Chibi Ruby were looking at her nervously.

"What is it Ruby?", Weiss asked Ruby. Ruby and Chibi Ruby going on to ask her rather bewildering questions.

"You-You wouldn't cut off my head, would you?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't! Right?"

The Schnee heiress was, understandably, taken aback by the words spoke by the two versions of her team leader. Ruby, as hard as she found it to admit, is her best friend, so Ruby must have assumed that this version of Weiss had killed her. The thought of her doing such a dreadful deed chilled Weiss to her very bones. Quickly, Weiss moved to comfort Ruby, saying to the red-hooded girl.

"No... no, Ruby. I wouldn't intentionally hurt you."

"Promise?" The two Rubys asked her.

"I promise," Weiss said with a sigh.

"Yaaay!" Ruby and Chibi Ruby cheered before jumping forward, and hugging the Schnee heiress tightly.

 _ **"PERTURABO WAS ALWAYS SO VOLATILE AND CHILDISH CONSTANTLY BITCHING AND MOANING WHEN HE DIDN'T GET AS HE WANTED."**_

 **A picture of a man in hulking silver-grey armour with a gold trim, and black and yellow hazard stripes painted on his armour, pushing forward through a breach in a wall. Two large wrist-mounted, belt-fed guns raised and unloading rounds larger than a human hand. The armour Perturabo wore looked more like a tank when one looked at its bulk and size.**

 **The notes on Perturabo surprisingly said that the man was Cardin, and the notes that followed more surprising. Stating that the man was a master at siegecraft, a envious, petty asshole who couldn't see what he did wrong, but that he was also criminally unappreciated.**

"Huh, he's an asshole in this one as well. I'm starting to wonder if every Cardin we'll see in the Multiverse is dislikable in some way," Coco bluntly stated.

"'Criminally unappreciated'? How bad must it have been if he was 'criminally unappreciated'?" Velvet mumbled to herself.

 _ **"MORTARION CONSTANTLY SMELT LIKE SHIT FROM DAY ONE."**_

 **Another picture, this time of a tall, gaunt warrior in grimy, battle-scarred, and undecorated ivory-grey armour standing amongst a field choked by toxic-mist. He wore a dirty white hood, and a rebreather mask over his lower face. In his hands was a giant scythe that he was using to cut down swathes of unidentifiable creatures. They couldn't see much of Mortarion's face thanks to his hood and mask, but what they saw made him appear sickly.**

 **Mortarion was described in the notes about him to be liked by pretty much no one, hated people who had an easier life than him, used chemical and all manner of toxic weaponry on all the battlefields he fought on. Apparently his only redemptive quality was that he had a strong hatred of monsters and tyrants.**

"Is that seriously the big 'flaw' he sees in Mortarion? He smells?" Raven said, shaking her head as she spoke. She did not like this universe. Not one bit.

"I carved my name into his heart!" Draigo yelled.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" The audience cried out in shock.

"Yes! It was quite a lovely Tuesday!" Draigo's face smiled as if recalling a fond memory. It was then that they noticed something curious about the information about Mortarion. There was no mention of just who it was that Mortarion was an alternate version of.

"Wait, who's this guy an alternate of?" Yang questioned the Grey Knight.

"Huh, oh give me a moment," Draigo brought out his remote and pressed a button. The word 'error' in capital letters and with a red font appeared on the screen. Draigo pressed the button six more times, but the word 'error' kept on appearing. "Seems the recording at this point got corrupted or something. Ah well! Let's keep watching!"

 _ **"LORGAR WAS A BRAINWASHED CHOIR BOY WITH A MASSIVE VICTIM COMPLEX."**_

 **The picture that appeared this time was of a man in grey armour with miniscule words etched onto its surface, a rose-red hood worn over his head. A large tome was strapped to his right pauldron, with scrolls hanging from his belt. He stood before a large crowd of people and seemed to be giving them some kind of speech or sermon. The face was full of passion as he spoke.**

 **Lorgar, an alternate of Ruby actually, was mentioned in the notes about him to have originally been quite the idealist, who wanted to help uplift humanity through religion, because he believed the Emperor was a god. Despite the Emperor's own dismissal of the concept of his supposed divinity. Turned against the Emperor after the Emperor blew up his favourite city, then two giant dickheads showed him the ways of Chaos and the Chaos Gods. There was also a hashtag saying _'#BlameLorgar'._**

"Why's there a hashtag?" Coco questioned. Lowering her shades as she did so.

"He's the one that helped turn Horus into a traitor!" This time, Draigo's voice sounded as if he had inhaled a good deal of helium. It was a bit amusing, but considering the fact a 2.1 metre (7 foot) giant in power armour with a huge sword in his hand was the one talking, the audience elected not to laugh at him. In the off chance that he might decide to use the previously mentioned sword in his possession.

"What?" Ruby and Chibi Ruby whispered in shocked horror at their alternate in this universe. The Rubys trusted Ozpin, and would never think of turning on the Headmaster for any reason. What horrified them about this version of themselves was that their actions helped inter Emperor Ozpin onto the Golden Throne, and turn his empire into what it was now.

For some reason, a profound sense of guilt began to swell within the two Rubys. Seeing the downcast mood of the two, Yang moved over to comfort Ruby, while Weiss consoled Chibi Ruby. Blake alternating between the two.

 _ **"KONRAD COULDN'T STAND A LITTLE FUCKING SUNLIGHT, AND KEPT FEELING PERSECUTED BY HIS FANTASIES ABOUT A DARK AND DEPRESSING FUTURE."**_

 **To the great alarm of the audience, they saw what looked like a man in black and red power armour disemboweling a terrified human citizen with twin clawed gauntlets. Hanging from chains from the ceiling were the mutilated corpses of Konrad's other victims. What they could see of the face revealed pale pale skin and matted red-hair, a black blindfold over his eyes. Flayed skin and skulls also adorned his armour.**

 **The notes on Konrad stated that he was an alternate of Adam Taurus. Alongside that, the notes stated that he was an extreme sadist, that he saw actual visions of the future, and that though he possessed a desire to protect the innocent, it was overshadowed by his desire to punish the guilty. Typically through horrific torture and excruciatingly painful death. He also may have had a split personality disorder.**

"What the hell's up with this guy?!" Qrow yelled in disgust at Konrad. He'd seen some shit while on the field, but the stuff he was seeing on screen right now was on a whole other level. Others went on to express their own alarm and horror.

"Why did the Emperor think it a good idea to keep this psychopath around?!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Taurus. Why am I not surprised that this version of him is a sadistic madman?"

"Did the Emperor try to do anything help straighten this guy out?"

"No!" Draigo said in response to that last one.

Needless to say, the audience were even more shocked to hear that Emperor Ozpin had done nothing to reign in his son. Even Cinder's group were surprised, and even disappointed, that the Emperor had made almost no meaningful attempt to control this version of Adam Taurus. This reinforced the idea in the audience's heads that the Emperor was nowhere near being the 'great father' that he believed himself to be.

"Why?" Ozpin asked Draigo, having finally mustered up the strength to say something.

"Because... reasons!" Was Draigo's answer. The Grey Knight said nothing else, but pointed his chin towards the TV screen so that the audience would keep watching. So they would get nothing else from Draigo on this particular matter, the audience turned their attention back to the screen, though, a certain cat faunus took a couple moments before doing as her peers and fellow abductees had done.

"Adam..." Blake whispered to herself. In the time before she left the White Fang, Adam had increasingly become more callous and brutal in regards to the actions and steps he would take to secure his warped vision of the Faunus's rightful place in the word. But this version of him, Konrad, went beyond even her worst fears. And secretly, she felt that if something was not done soon, he might just turn into Konrad. Maybe it would have to be her that would have to do something, and that thought frightened her.

 _ **"ANGRON WAS CONSTANTLY MAD. LIKE, EXTREMELY EARTH-SHATTERINGLY UNREASONABLE FUCK-ASS MAD. PROBABLY BECAUSE HE HAD THOSE FUCKING NAILS IN HIS BRAIN."**_

 **A picture of a figure in a whirlwind of blood, gore, and dismembered body parts was presented to the audience. Angron wore a suit of yellow and brass armour that was covered almost entirely in blood. A pair of chainaxes in each hand, Angron was using them to slaughter all of the enemies before him. Their face, which could have been considered lordly if fate was kinder to him, was twisted and distorted in a look of bestial anger and bloodlust that bordered madness.**

 **The notes that accompanied the picture said that this monstrous butcher was an alternate of Yang. They also said he was a near unstoppable force when in the thick of melee, a psychotic killer. It also mentioned that he had surgically implanted machines forcibly put in his brain when he was young that forced him to feel nothing but pain, anger, and an intense battle-lust** **.**

This time it was Yang's turn to be shocked by her alternate self. She was infamous for her temper, within Beacon and outside of it, but the rage in this version of herself was beyond anything she'd experienced or seen anyone else express. The rage within Angron surpassed even the destructive desires that resided within the Creatures of Grimm. Much of the audience were also horrified by the sight of Yang's alternate in this universe.

"Why the hell do I have... nails in my brain?!" Yang shouted. Her shock was now replaced by an unexpected sense of outrage, a throbbing pain stabbing into her brain.

"Angron was captured and turned into a gladiator as a child, the nails implanted into his brain shortly after. The nails increase the aggression of a gladiator with those foul machines implanted into their skulls. A sickening practise," Draigo's sane personality emerging for a moment. But slid back to insanity once he was done speaking, evidenced by how the Grey Knight shoved a cookie up his nose with ease.

"I dread the answer, but, I feel that I must ask this," Jeanne spoke up. She did not understand a few of the things she had seen, but she felt that she needed to speak her mind on this issue. "Why in all that is sacred did the Emperor not remove the nails from Angron's skull? You say they were 'implanted', could they not be removed?"

"No!" Draigo answered. Taking a moment to bash his fist against the decapitated daemon skull he sat upon for some reason. "To remove them would kill Angron!"

"Was there anything the Emperor could have done for Angron?" Blake asked Draigo. Having successfully calmed Yang down.

"He could have left him to die is one thing," Draigo replied, startling the audience.

"What?" Yang questioned the silver-armoured warrior. The Grey Knight did not elaborate any further, but looked on the screen with crossed eyes.

 _ **"ALPHARUIS OMEGON HAD HUGE ANONYMITY ISSUES."**_

 **The picture for this person was... confusing. The armour they wore was coloured dark-blue and green, with a silver trim, and the plates decorated with reptilian scales and . What was confusing was that their face was featureless, a question mark where his facial features should be.**

 **The notes that accompanied the picture were also strange. It didn't say who he was an alternate of, and the notes about him were a jumble of random and contradictory information.**

"What's up with this guy? Where's his face?" Mercury queried. Confused, as everyone else in the audience were, as to why the picture and the information on this Primarch was so odd.

"Because it is mine!" Came Draigo's incredibly bizarre response.

"Ugh, are you-" Emerald started to say, but paused when she turned towards Draigo, Where the Grey Knight's face should have been, was a question mark. Just like Alpharius's face.

"The hell?" Was the collective response of the audience to Draigo's sudden and peculiar change in appearance.

"I am Alpharius!" Draigo shouted at the audience's face.

"Where is-?" Port began, but stopped like Emerald had when he looked at Draigo again.

When he and everyone else in the audience blinked, Draigo's face had returned to his normal aged and wild-eyed appearance. All of the audience were absolutely perplexed. The Grey Knight looked curiously at the shocked and beyond confused faces of the audience, and asked them, "What is it? Have termites replaced my eyes again? Did my moustache say something offensive to you?"

"I-We're not gonna ask what happened there," Ironwood said with a resigned tone to his voice.

"Wait a second, who's he an alternate version of?" Nora asked. Curious as to the identity of the person Alpharius was an alternate of.

"You!" Draigo bellowed.

"What?!"

"He's Alpharius! She's Alpharius! I'm Alpharius!" Draigo deliriously babbled, his words confusing the audience more than they had ever been throughout this entire viewing. "Everyone is Alpharius! Hahahahaha!"

As Draigo laughed at his seemingly inane ramblings, the audience looked at each other and shrugged. He was insane, so they just assumed that Draigo was being his usual self, and continued watching. They hoped that this viewing would end soon and that it did not get any stranger, but, they knew better than that. It _is_ going to get weirder.

 _ **"AND FUCKING HORUS STARTED OFF NICE AND FRIENDLY, BUT HE DECIDED TO STOP TRUSTING ME WHEN I LEFT FOR TERRA AND BECAME AN EDGY REBEL INSTEAD, LEADING ALL TRAITOR LEGIONS TO TERRA AND THEN PUT ME ON THIS FUCKING THRONE."**_

 **The picture of Horus was a man with short red hair, with green eyes, wearing immense bronze-coated armour with a red cape. Standing alongside him was a giant in resplendant golden armour and a green cape. Around them were some of the other Primarchs. It appeared that the golden armoured man was making a proclaimation regarding Horus.**

 **Notes on Horus informed the audience that he was an alternate of Pyrrha. Everyone was stated to like him, from his own brothers to regular mortals. Everyone! Though a great warlord, he made great efforts to treat everyone well, was diplomatic when others would not have been, and possessed an inspirational presence about him.**

"Pyrrha is Horus?!" Jaune exclaimed, greatly surprised at the realisation that the Horus was an alternate of his partner and best friend.

"This is... unexpected," Ren stoically remarked.

"Whaaaaaaaaat?" Nora suddenly uttered. Dragging the word out for a while.

"It-It seems so," was all Pyrrha could say.

They had expected, well, they had expected anyone other than Pyrrha. Horus had been portrayed, up until now, as some kind of monster. The image that had formed in their heads was of some kind of despicable villain or mad man. But the Horus they were looking and his description in the notes about him went against such ideas. Judging from the expression on Horus's face, he looked up to the golden armoured man as a son would look up to his father.

"Hey, isn't that you Headmaster Ozpin?" Velvet asked said man, pointing towards the golden armoured man.

The golden armoured man was in fact Ozpin, or at the very least, shared his appearance with the Headmaster of Beacon. He shared Ozpin's grey hair, though it was longer an fell past his shoulders. He shared Ozpin's facial features, though they were sharper, and he did not wear any spectacles. So this was the Emperor before he, in Draigo's words, 'became a vegetable'.

"It appears that you are correct, Ms Scarletina," Ozpin grimly responded.

 **A new image of Horus was shown. He stood before the Emperor, a giant spear in one hand, and a clawed gauntlet raised in challenge towards him. Horus's armour was now painted completely black, the pelt of a wolf-like beast over his shoulders. His now bald head illuminated by a baleful red light from within his suit of armour.**

The drastic change in Horus was incredibly alarming to the audience. All of them reacting to it in their own different ways.

"Whoa!" Mercury said in surprise.

"Oh my goodness," Kali murmured to herself.

"Good heavens! What happened to him?" Port queried in shock.

"Oh damn, what the hell?" Sun cried out.

Zwei and San began to bark repeatedly at the screen upon laying eyes on the changed Horus.

Draigo took a moment to flip off the image of Horus.

Over by Team JNPR's couch, Pyrrha's eyes remained fixated on the image on the TV screen. Aghast at what Horus, _her_ alternate, had become. When she looked into his eyes, she saw no warmth or anything of the Horus that that the audience had been previously shown. Alongside that, she could see unholy energies radiate off of Horus, something that only she and a couple others could see. Pyrrha shuddered at her alternate's horrifying transformation.

A hand gently gripped Pyrrha's right shoulder. Looking over to who it was, she saw that it was Jaune.

"Hey, Pyrrha. Do you... uh, need a moment? Do you need anything? Or..." Jaune's words trailed off. The boy not really knowing exactly what to say or do to comfort his partner.

"I..." Pyrrha began, but paused for a moment. The red-haired girl also not knowing what she need right now. But a thought quickly came to mind, and she decided to say to Jaune. "Could... Can I... sit closer to... you? A-And can you put your arm around my shoulders?"

Jaune was, needless to say, startled by Pyrrha's request. But he complied, and allowed Pyrrha to sit closer to him, and put his left arm around her shoulders. Pyrrha let out a content sigh, and shifted to get a bit more comfortable as she leaned against Jaune. It seemed to have worked.

Ren and Nora, the two having watched the whole interaction, looked and smiled at each other. Kali cooed at the two youths and whispered something to her husband, the panther faunus letting out a short hum in response. Raven looked away from the two, while Tai looked on the two with an amused smile as he remembered when he was their age. Neo wretched at the sight.

 **"Right right, my lord! It is no wonder the most flawed sons of yours betrayed you. The pure, noble and flawless ones were to remain naturally!" Kitten tried to change the subject again, this time towards a more positive one. This, again, did not work out as the he had intended.**

 _ **"I'D AGREE WITH YOU, BUT NOPE. EVEN THE LOYAL ONES WERE FLAWED AS FUCK."**_

"Seriously?" Coco muttered. Frowning at how the Emperor was now going to belittle the sons who had stayed loyal to him.

 _ **"LEMAN RUSS WAS BIGOTED, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, UNNECESSARILY RASH, AND HAD A FETISH FOR WOLVES."**_

 **Leman Russ's picture showed him upon a word covered in an icy tundra, flanked by a pair of giant 'wolves'. He wore white and grey armour, with bits of dark pink here and there, adorned with runes, a 'wolf' pelt, and a necklace of 'wolf' teeth. In his right hand was a sword, while in his left was a large hammer. His long orange hair was loose, but also set into a pair of braids before his ears, and a long ponytail at the top of his head.**

 **The notes of Russ said that he was an alternate of Nora, and was essentially a space Viking. Russ was indeed all of the things the Emperor had described him as. Including a great warrior, and a savage brute who often picked fights with his brothers. But he tried to keep his eyes on the long-term betterment of humanity whilst he did so, and protected the civilians of the Imperium along the way.**

"Ren look! I look awesome!" Nora pointed at the screen, while also grabbing Ren's shoulder and shaking him repeatedly and enthusiastically.

"Uh, yeah Nora. You look awesome," Ren responded to his orange-haired friend. As he was being shaken around like the teddy bear he had gotten Nora for one of her birthdays, he could not help but think on how wolfish Russ appeared. Especially when he saw that his canines were slightly elongated and resembled that of a wolf's.

"I'm not really big on wolves, but okay!" Nora continued. She finally stopped shaking Ren about, and started to fantasise all the badass things her alternate might have done. She bet he had broken a lot of legs.

 _ **"FERRUS MANUS WAS A BRUTISH ASSCRACK WITH A SURVIVAL-OF-THE-FITTEST MINDSET, THINKING ALL 'WEAKNESS' WITHIN THE HUMAN SPECIES NEEDED TO BE DESTROYED."**_

 **The picture that followed the Emperor's opinion on Ferrus Manus showed a man in black armour, with red accents, and silver trim. Something that differentiated him from his brothers was that he did not wear any armour over his arms, for his rippling arms were coated in a silvery metal substance. He had short black hair and red eyes. The picture showed him standing beside Fulgrim, a stoic look on his face while Fulgrim was smiling.**

 **Ferrus was apparently an alternate of Raven Branwen. Ferrus's notes also made mention of how he was a Social Darwinist to a very high degree, only nice to people he thought of as friends, and had trouble keeping civilian casualties to a minimum. He did have an idea of his own limits, and strongly desired to overcome those limits to become stronger. He was also Fulgrim's best friend.**

"That's supposed to be me?" Raven monotonously said. She liked the fact that this version of herself shared in her ideals of strength over everything else. Though, she questioned why she was 'best-friends' with the alternate of the younger Schnee daughter.

"Wait, didn't Fulgrim cut off his best friend's head?" Qrow remembered from the information shown about Fulgrim.

Raven went on to glare at her brother for mentioning it. Knowing that her alternate had lost and been killed made her seethe with a cold anger, though she hid it well enough. If he had been killed, he must have been weak, so that made her lose any respect she had for this version of herself. It was at this moment that Draigo decided to open his mouth again and said.

"He is now a ghost. A skull-ghost! A skost if you will!"

"A... what?" Weiss questioned him.

"Let's not ask." Blake whispered into the heiress's ear. Figuring out by now that it would be better for everyone's sanity to not ask too many questions when it came to the things Draigo said.

 _ **"VULKAN DIED ALL THE FUCKING TIME AND WAS ALWAYS TO DAMN NICE."**_

 **Vulkan was shown to be a giant, even amongst his brothers who were already giants among mortal men, hugging Emperor Ozpin tightly. It actually looked liked the Emperor's face was turning blue. Vulkan wore a masterfully-crafted suit of green armour, with the skull of a giant reptilian beast over his right pauldron, and a cloak made of the scaled hide from that long dead beast. His skin was jet black, with glowing green eyes.**

 **The notes on Vulkan stated that he was an alternate of Penny. And, out of all his brothers, he cared the most for the lives of the average citizen of the Imperium. Throwing his life and those of his men in the way of danger for them. A master craftsman and worker of metal. He was also the nicest of all of the Emperor's sons, and the strongest in terms of physical strength. Vulkan also hated terror weapons, but had no qualms against flame weaponry.**

"How's being nice a bad thing, friend Ruby?" Penny asked Ruby. Both Ruby and Chibi Ruby nervously scratching the back of their heads at this. Being nice was not a bad thing, but the two Rubys did not know how to explain to Penny how it could be a bad thing, especially when you were too nice.

"I think he's crushing Emperor Ozpin to death... through a hug." Fox said, pointing out the agonized look on the Emperor's face, while Vulkan appeared to be heartily laughing.

"Not that different from our Penny then." Yang whispered low enough that Penny could not hear her.

"Did he say I died all the time?" Was Penny's next question.

"Yes! You died to a nuke, decapitation, immolation, asphyxiation, multiple stabbings, having your heart torn out with a rusty spoon, re-entry into a planet's atmosphere, and a whole lot of others things!" Dragio listed off the various and terrible ways Vulkan had died with a disturbingly casual voice. Of course, all of those ways to die _should_ permanently kill a person, but the audience had seen universes where people could come back from the dead, so this was not too shocking to them.

"So, how is he able to come back to life?" Salem asked Draigo.

"He was given the teddy bear of immortality as a birthday present!" This was not the question that the audience were looking for, but they had expected him to say something along those lines.

 _ **"ROGAL DORN WAS JUST TOO UPTIGHT AND BRUTALLY HONEST, NEVER BEING CAPABLE OF EVEN TELLING A WHITE LITTLE LIE TO MAKE SOMEONE FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES."**_

 **The picture of Rogal Dorn that was now onscreen showed him to be a serious-faced man with black hair with grey hair above is ears, and a noticeable stubble. The warplate he wore was grey and white, a white cape, and an eagle wrought in gold with outstretched wings was mounted onto the backpack of his suit. He was stood atop a wall and was looking down at a fuming Perturabo with an ever serious expression on his face.**

 **The notes said he was an alternate of General Ironwood, and that he was extremely honest, so much so that Dorn could not lie, even if it could help him or anyone else. He was inflexible, was not the most empathetic of individuals, and took things rather literally. He was loyal though, dependable, and a great builder. Having pretty much few to no friends, Dorn's closest confidant was something called 'Magic Pain Glove'.**

"Heh, I knew you'd show up in one of these with a giant stick up your ass, Jimmy," Qrow smirked at seeing Ironwood's alternate in this universe. Ironwood shook his head and assessed this version of himself, Qrow and Winter getting into another argument as he did so.

The Altesian General found that he disapproved of a few of the qualities that Dorn possessed, and found his armour's ornate design too be too ostentatious for his liking. That did not mean he did not admire the armour, having started thinking up ideas of creating suits of power armour just like what the Primarchs wore. Ironwood also noticed that this version of himself had grown out a stubble, and wondered whether this was a trend that so many other Ironwoods across the Multiverse shared.

Facial hair aside, there was a more curious matter that Ironwood felt that he needed to ask. Turning his head to Draigo, and mentally preparing himself for whatever absurdity the insane Grey Knight was about to say, Ironwood asked him.

"What is... the 'Magic Pain Glove'?"

"Ah, the Magic Pain Glove. It is a glove made of electrofibres that makes your nerves experience the worst pain imaginable. He used it to gain insight into matters," Ironwood and the audience were not expecting that answer. And they really did not understand how that was supposed to work. Oh, and Draigo was doing a handstand whilst he was talking. "That, and I believe he was a bit of a masochist."

Silence reigned the room for a while, ending when Ironwood slapped his hand onto his face, going on to shake his head at this information.

 _ **"ROBOUTE GUILLIMAN ALWAYS ACTED INFALLIBLE IN HIS STEADFAST CLINGING TO EVERYTHING BEING HELD TRADITIONAL, PLAIN AND CON-FUCKING-VENTIONAL. YET WASN'T AS INFALLIBLE AS HE WANTED TO BELIEVE."**_

 **Roboute Guilliman was portrayed as a man in white, yellow, and gold-trimmed armour. Over his forearms he wore a pair of** **_massive_ gauntlets with upside-down omega symbols painted in yellow on them. He had short blonde-hair and blue eyes, his mouth set in a confident smile. In one of his hands, he held a large tome, with an image of ****Roboute Guilliman printed on the cover, smiling and giving a thumbs up.**

 **Guilliman was stated to be an alternate of none other than Jaune Arc. He was stated to be a peerless statesman. A man who cared for the lives of the average people and sought the betterment of their lives, but at the same time, had a big ego. Never admitting he was wrong about anything until he was given irrefutable evidence that he was.**

"Hehehe. You got an upside-down toilet seat as a symbol," Ruby snickered at Jaune.

"H-Hey!" Jaune snapped back. He liked how he looked in this universe, too be honest, he looked almost exactly like Jaune. Though he looked like he was in this thirties. Jaune was not really too fond of the idea that an alternate version of himself acting like the way he was described to be.

As he looked on this version of himself, he felt a good deal of self-confidence and pride rise up inside of him. Making him sit up straighter, and felt more any nervousness at the way he was sat with Pyrrha disappear. Noticing this change within him, Jaune turned to Draigo and asked him. "What's up with the book in my hand? And why do I feel an incredible sense of self-confidence all of a sudden?"

"The book is called the 'Codex Astartes'. Essentially it's a guidebook on how to wage war. I've read it a couple times, I gave it a four out of five in the review. Don't know where that 'self-confidence' came from," Draigo replied. Handing over a copy of the Codex Astartes to Jaune, who after a quick skim through the pages, handed it over to the others.

"So, it is your universe's equivalent of 'The Craft of War'?" Winter remarked after her turn to skim-read the lengthy tome was over. The Craft of War a military treatise on the strategies and tactics of war written by a famous Mistrali strategist centuries before the Great War. Its teachings influencing the people of Remnant how to fight wars even to this day.

"More or less, yes!" Draigo said in response.

 _ **"LION EL'JONSON WAS JUST A MESS. BEING BOTH A SELF-ABSORBED SPITEFUL AND ENVIOUS PRICK AND AN HONOURABLE COURAGEOUS AND DUTIFUL WARRIOR AT THE SAME TIME. FUCKING CONFUSING."**_

 **An image of a** **warrior in black warplate** **sat on a throne of black stone, a two-handed longsword beside them, came next. Their armour was decorated with a good deal of motifs and imagery of lions and hooded angels, and they wore a white cape. Their hair was black and fell past his shoulders, sharp amber eyes looked on into the distance, and their face was set in a brooding expression.**

 **He was apparently an alternate of Blake, according to the notes that appeared with the picture. The notes on the Lion said that he was a difficult person to become and stay friends with. Arrogant, incredibly stubborn, and possessing very poor communication skills. At the same time, Lion was honourable, a brilliant swordsman and strategist, and a very lonely individual.**

Blake looked curiously at her alternate. Lion look very much like a knight, not something she had imagined any alternate version of herself to appear like. She guessed that she would be more of a ninja than anything else. The alleged personality and traits of Lion were also things she had never anticipated to be anticipated with any of her alternates. That he was lonely made her feel sympathetic to Lion, for she had been a lonely individual for much of her own life. The only true friends she had ever had were Ilia, and the rest of team RWBY, team JNPR, and Sun.

Maybe Blake and Lion were more alike than she had initially thought.

"Hey Blake," Yang called out to Blake. Guessing what it was that Yang wanted, Blake responded.

"Yang, don't. No jokes or puns, please just don't."

"Yeah, your jokes aren't funny Yang." Sun spoke up from where he sat with Neptune.

"Yes!" Draigo unexpectedly butted in as well. "Your humour could make an Ork cry in disappointment."

"C'mon, why are you guys _lion_ about?" Yang 'joked'. "Honestly, can we _paws_ for a moment? A _meow_ -tain of stuff got dumped on us, so you guys can't blame me for trying to lighten the mood, you sour- _pusses_."

Silence filled the air of the room again. Draigo and everyone in the audience, apart from Yang and Tai, looked at the blonde and shook their heads in disapproval. Qrow and Raven pinched the bridges of their noses. Ruby covered her face with both hands. Chibi Ruby was bashed her head against the soft surface of the couch she shared the team RWBY. And Neo gave Yang a thumbs down.

Those were terrible jokes. _(Author: Someone, kill me for writing them!)_

 _ **"JAGHATAI KHAN WAS ALWAYS SO FUCKING RECKLESS AND CONSTANTLY HYPED ON SPEED."**_

 **A rare decent-quality picture of the aforementioned Jaghatai Khan was presented to the audience. Rare because it was hard to take clear images of the Great Khan while he was moving. He was riding a fast-moving bike with two guns mounted at the front. He wore finely crafted green armour, with intricate patterns artfully engraved on it. His head was bare of hair, apart from a lengthy ponytail at the top of his head, with a moustache and goatee combination. His ponytail possessing a noticeable pink streak. A lightning bolt tattooed in red over the centre of his forehead.**

 **Jaghatai was noted to be an alternate of Ren. He was appeared distant, was brutal in warfare, having pretty much only two friends amongst his brothers, and few people could say they really knew him. He was also an incredibly skilled bike rider and swordsman, an appreciator of art, and believed in constantly moving not just physically, he liked to move fast whilst on his bike, but also in terms of improving oneself.**

"I don't look bad. Not sure about being so reckless though," Ren muttered to himself. Recklessness was something Nora was, not him. He had honestly never ridden on a bike before, but, he did like how he had Jaghatai sought constant self improvement.

"Haha. I knew you'd show up someone in her Ren!" Nora cheered at seeing her best friend have an alternate in this universe. Yes, her best friend. Her _best friend_.

"-ra. Nora. Nora!" A voice broke Nora from her thoughts. Blinking her eyes repeatedly, Nora looked towards the source of the voice, and saw that it was Ren. "You alright Nora? You entered a daze for a moment there."

"Oh, don't worry you Ren. I'm fine," Nora replied with a wide innocent looking smile.

 _ **"AND LASTLY, CORVUS CORAX WAS ALWAYS SO INFERNALLY FUCKING ANGSTY."**_

 **The picture of Corax was-wait... where's Corax? The picture was pitch black, it was so dark that no** **thing could be seen.**

"Uh, is there supposed to be something there?" Neptune asked Draigo, confused as the rest of the audience were as to why they could not see anything.

"Oops. Let me brighten things up a little. Corax likes dark places."

Draigo used his remote to raise the brightness of the television screen, and slowly but surely, they were able to make out the shape of Corvus Corax. He appeared to be huddled away somewhere, sheets of paper with ineligible writing scrawled all over them surrounding him. Draigo reached the highest limit that the television could go in terms of brightness, and the audience could still only barely see him.

 **Corax wore a rather plain suit of black and white armour that lacked much of the ornamentation of his brothers. On his back he wore a red winged jump pack, and wielded a pair of clawed red-coloured gauntlets.** **His shoulder-length hair was black with bits of grey here and there, his eyes were a deep-red. The start of a short beard growing on his face.**

 **The notes on Corax appeared onscreen shortly after, stating that he was an alternate of Qrow, and was _the_ master of stealth, and very big on refusing to be a tyrant or doing anything remotely tyrannical. He was also rather emo, and had a thing for gothic poetry.**

"Hey, what the...?" Qrow spoke upon reading the mention of how his alternate was described as 'rather emo'. Around him, the snickering laughter of some of the other audience members could be heard.

"Why's he huddled away like that?" Glynda wondered aloud.

"Is he on some sort of secret mission?" Chibi Ruby excitedly asked. She, Ruby, and Qrow hoped so, but others had other reasons in mind.

"Is he just hiding from his problems and writing edgy poetry?" Nora asked. The others looked at her oddly, prompting the girl to look back at them and say. "What? He might be?"

"You really want to know?" Draigo said, an eyebrow raised as he spoke. Oscar responding to him.

"I don't think it would hurt."

"Why did you say that?" Qrow snapped at him.

Draigo looked around the room as if looking out for any eavesdroppers, once he seemed sure no one was listening in, the Grey Knight leaned forward towards the audience and waved them to come closer. The audience leaned forward towards Draigo, a majority of them doing this just so that they could quickly get this all over with.

"It's a secret," Draigo whispered before leaning back. The audience looking blankly at him before getting back to their seats.

 **Back on the TV screen, Kitten awkwardly looked down at the floor after hearing the Emperor's opinions of his sons. However, it was then that he realised the Emperor had missed one of them. Kitten saying to the Emperor.**

 **"O-oh... I see, my Lord. Wait, what about Sanguinius?"**

 _ **"DON'T YOU TALK SHIT ABOUT MY FABULOUS FUCKING HAWK-BOY,"**_ **the Emperor abruptly said to Kitten.** **"HE** _ **DIED FOR ME, SO BE GRATEFUL."**_

 **A final picture, of another man in golden armour with precious stones the colour of blood embedded into the armour in a couple places. Gloriously long locks of blonde-hair flanking his handsome and flawless face. His most striking feature was the giant pure-white wings on his back that he was using to fly majestically through the sky, making him appear like an angel.**

 **The notes that accompanied the image of Sanguinius did not make any mention of who he was an alternate version. Sanguinius was also described as one of the most beloved of the Emperor's sons. Noble and humble, he was, however, said to be haunted by a curse that was unspecified to the audience.**

The audience looked on in awe of the man onscreen, even as a picture, he seemed to exude an aura of charisma that awed all of the audience. Even those who looked for reasons to dislike him found practically no reason to. However, that such a seemingly faultless individual was marred by some cursed perturbed many in the audience.

"I don't know why, but... I can't look away from him," Coco muttered aloud.

"Neither can I," Winter whispered quietly to herself. The Altesian Specialist, and a few other women in the audience, felt as if she had been swept off her feet by Sanguinius's stunning looks alone.

"He's..." Neptune tried to think of someone to say, but nothing came to mind. He prided himself in the charm he himself was able to portray, especially when it came to interacting with the ladies, but Sanguinius had him beat.

"There are no words," the younger Salem spoke from her seat in the audience.

"Is he... a faunus?" Blake asked. There had been no mention of any faunus in this universe, but Sanguinius's magnificent wings made think for a moment that he was. But something inside he made her think otherwise.

"He's an angel," Jeanne said before bowing her head and saying a prayer.

"He-He's an alternate of...?" Oscar questioned Draigo. The response he received was, as with almost everything they had experienced with Draigo, surprising and conveyed through the Grey Knight shouting in their faces.

"No one! No one in all the Multiverse can replace the mighty, the fabulous, the GLORIOUS SANGUINIUS!"

Sanguinius was no one's alternate? That was a rather intriguing piece of information. Then again, as the audience tried to imagine a person who could stand in Sanguinius's place, they found that they were unable to. The very thought of someone else being Sanguinius actually felt wrong to them for some reason, and just thinking about it made their heads ache with a throbbing pain. Deciding to go along with it the audience turned back to the TV screen and kept watching.

 **"Alright, of course!" Kitten hastily said. "Well, what about those other two Primarchs? I don't even remember their names."**

 _ **"WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THEM,"**_ **the Emperor instantly replied.**

 **"Um, why?"**

 _ **"BECAUSE WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THEM,"**_ **the Emperor's voice distorted slightly. The tone of his voice deepening as he spoke, until it sounded incredibly menacing to the ears of Kitten and the audience.**

 **"Right, I won't ask again!" Kitten hurriedly said to the Emperor. Taking a single step back as he did in fear of being subject to another display of the Emperor's powers while in the grip of wrath.**

This confused the audience, and they turned to question Draigo, as much as they did not want to, on the matter. Draigo was currently levitating in the air and slowly spinning around, and waving his sword whilst making swishing sounds.

"Why won't they talk about them?" Penny asked Driago. The Grey Knight Supreme Grand Master fell head first onto the floor, but stood back up in an instant, a fish somehow resting atop his head. Once he was on his feet, Draigo gave his answer. An answer that did not satisfy the audience.

"Because we don't talk about them."

"Uh. Seriously, why-?" Emerald started to say. But, she was interrupted when Draigo stabbed the _Titansword_ into the floor in front of her, and leaned uncomfortably close to her face. Draigo's eyes focused on hers, and went on to speak in a menacingly calm manner.

"We. Don't. Talk. About. Them."

Intimidated, Emerald, and the rest of the audience dropped the subject of the two missing Primarchs and carried on watching.

 **"However, I just cannot understand why they'd betray you," Oscar uttered after he was certain that the Emperor would not eviscerate him with lightning or destroy the throne room in anger.**

"We saw a few reasons why," Yatsuhashi remarked.

 _ **"I KNOW RIGHT,"**_ **the Emperor grumbled.** _ **"I MEAN SURE, LORGAR GREW UP ON A PLANET FULL OF CHAOS WORSHIPPERS. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE COULDN'T START USING HIS FUCKING BRAIN. ESPECIALLY ONCE I CAME ALONG TO STRAIGHTEN HIM OUT.**_ _ **THE REST SEEMINGLY DID IT BECAUSE THEY EITHER WERE CORRUPTED BY CHAOS THROUGH LORGAR, TOOK TOO MUCH OFFENSE WHEN I TOLD THEM I HAD SOME DADDY THINGS TO DO BACK ON TERRA, OR WHEN I TRIED TO CORRECT THEM WHEN THEY WERE DOING STUPID THINGS."**_

"At least two of them were psychos," Glynda pointed out.

"One was an asshole who wasn't shown any gratitude for what he did," Fox said.

"One's a smelly asshole!" Nora added.

"Nora!" Ren cried out as he put a firm hand on her shoulder. The orange-haired girl looked indignantly back at Ren and said.

"What? He was."

 **"I have to ask, since that's apparently my duty nowadays, why did you not tell them what you were going to do back on Terra?" Kitten asked, raising a fairly good point in the audience's eyes.**

 _ **"WELL, WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO SAY? I CAN'T JUST TELL MY OWN CHILDREN THAT I AM BUILDING A GATE INTO THE WEBWAY BECAUSE I NEED SOME BOOTY, AND ELDAR PROSTITUTES ARE CHEAPER AND A LOT LESS SHODDY."**_

 **"I'm sorry,** **WHAT?!" Kitten, and the audience, yelled in alarm. The Emperor quickly saying not a moment after Kitten was done expressing his confusion.**

 _ **"I SAID, I CAN'T JUST TELL THEM THAT I'M BUILDING A GATE INTO THE WEBWAY BECAUSE HUMANITY NEEDS SOME BOOTING UP IN ITS TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. AND ELDAR WEBWAYS ARE SAFER AND A LOT LESS SHODDY THAN WARP-TRAVEL."**_

 **"Ah, that's what I thought," Kitten muttered. Whether he truly believed the Emperor could not be said, but he chose to believe that the last one was true.**

"Please tell me he was joking about that first part," Weiss asked Draigo.

"I have neither the authority nor enough ham sandwiches to disclose that information," the Grey Knight replied. His voice sounding emotionless and robotic as he tried to mimic the text-to-speech device used by the Emperor.

"What is 'Warp-travel'?" Doctor Oobleck questioned, it sounded important.

"Think of it like creating a butthole into the fabric of space and time to travel through Hell itself to reach another point in space," Draigo started to explain. "There are three ways travelling through the Warp can end. One; you arrive at your desired destination in time with only a couple of your crew going mad. Two; you are propelled days or even years into the past or future, even before you were born. Three; your vessel gets daemonically-possessed, a Slaaneshi surprise party then decides to invite itself into your ship _and_ every single one of your orifices."

The audience were understandably freaked the hell out, upon learning just how the Imperium travelled the vast distance between stars. As well as the dangers that accompanied their method.

 _ **"I COULD NOT TAKE ANY RISKS WITH THIS PROJECT, AND TELLING MY SONS WOULD INDEED HAVE CREATED UNNECESSARY RISKS. THEIR TRUST IN ME SHOULD NOT HAVE SWAYED WHEN I LEFT. IT'S NOT LIKE I'M DEMANDING FULL ACCESS DISCLOSURE TO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES, EVEN IF I'M THEIR FATHER,"**_ **the Emperor continued to rant away.** _ **"I MEAN, IMAGINE IF I HAD, FOR EXAMPLE; STEPPED INTO LION EL'JONSON'S ROOM AND BEEN ALL LIKE 'HEY SONNY, HOW'S BUILDING THAT HOMOSEXUAL NIGHT CLUB COMING ALONG FOR YOU?'"**_

 **"Oh yes, I fully understand my Lord!" Kitten quickly spoke up. Whether he did was up for debate.**

 _ **"INFACT, AS WELL AS RETURNING TO TERRA TO BUILD THE HUMAN WEBWAY, I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT I WAS TESTING THEM TO SEE HOW MY SONS WOULD WORK TOGETHER WITHOUT ME TO GUIDE THEM. AS IT TURNS OUT, NOT MUCH BETTER THAN REGULAR HUMANS LEFT TO THEIR OWN DEVICES."**_

Ozpin rose his mug to his lips, and took a long sip from the caffeinated contents held within. The Emperor was not wrong there. No matter what, humans always seemed to find a way to make a mess of a good thing. He should know, for he had made more mistakes than any person alive in his universe.

 **"I see," Kitten quietly mumbled. Hs head fell for a moment as he thought on what the Emperor had said. After a pause, he looked back up to the Emperor and asked him. "Um, can I ask about another thing?"**

 _ **"YOU ARE GOING TO ANYWAY, REGARDLESS OF HOW I ANSWER, AREN'T YOU?"**_ **the Emperor replied.**

 **"Even if all your sons are obviously flawed, isn't there anything good about them, I mean... even the ones who betrayed you? Is there anything good you see in them?" Kitten's questions made the Emperor pause for a moment before answering.**

 _ **"WELL, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT..."**_

 **And with that, the screen faded to black.**

"So, what do you think?" Draigo asked the audience as soon as the TV screen was completely black. The audience did not immediately answer him, but, after a moment spent in silence, Sun hesitantly responded.

"I'll just say it. I would not like to live in your universe."

From the door that led to the main Repository, the sound of what could be compared to a tornado was heard. Shortly afterwards, footsteps were heard and the door opened from the outside. Standing there, his black robes torn and singed, his mask chipped and cracked, was Keeper Alaric.

"That was crazy," Alaric could be heard groaning from behind his mask. The Keeper stumbled and fell onto the floor. As he got back onto his feet, Alaric said. "I swear, when I find the person who breached the universal wards, I'm gonna..."

It was then that Alaric noticed Draigo's presence in the room. He, the audience, and Draigo remained silent for a moment before the Keeper said in a grumbling voice.

"For the love of... Damn it, Draigo!"

* * *

 **Right, another chapter done.**

 **Freaking hell. 15,720 words!**

 **Anyway, next, we have Fate. God knows you've all been asking for a reaction chapter to the Fate series. Though, I'll admit that I wasn't expecting the number of suggestions regarding what scene from the Fate series I may do. Was kind of overwhelmed really.**

 **But I will attempt to write it. Probably best if I do one chapter of Fate next, then later on in the future, another Fate chapter. Gonna start working on it a couple days after this update, and I will also work on Chapter 3 of Demi-Human Students of Beacon.**

 **Not sure what to do after the Fate chapter. Might do For Honor or Destiny. Might. Something else, maybe. I really do not know.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	24. FateZero

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello everyone. Hope you are all doing alright.**

 **For those who have been asking for it, here it is. A chapter where the audience reacts to Fate. Specifically, Fate/Zero. For those who wanted a chapter for Fate Apocrypha and Unlimited Blade Works, do not worry, for I _will_ do chapters on them in the future.**

 **I must confess, my experience with the Fate series is limited. I think the first thing I saw of the Fate series was the Gilgamesh vs Lancelot Berserker scene from Fate/Zero. Watched it to pass time whilst I was writing bullshit for my Business Studies assignment. I did not really explore the Fate series much after that because of the need for me to write _more_ bullshit for Business Studies. Anyway, I still do not know much about the Fate series, so bare with me on chapters where the audience react to Fate.**

 **Another thing of note is that I will start sending people back to their universes, or send them to a waiting room, after this chapter. The reasoning for this decision is that I am starting to lose track of the characters in the audience, and to make room for new characters.**

 **Oh, and I realised that I had my PM turned off for some reason. I do not remember why or when exactly I turned it off, but now you can PM me. I think I was tired, and I was using the mobile site when I did it. My apologies if it was inconvenient for anyone.**

 **RWBY Vol 6 Episode 13 was quite something. Love Neo and Cinder's new outfits. Smart move by Ruby there. And Salem, heh, the Wicked Witch of the West. Now we have to wait until October for Volume 7. Hope it will be worth the wait. We have RWBY Chibi, and the regular crap of real life to keep us all preoccupied while we wait.**

 **Okay, that is all out of the way. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Fate/Zero**

Keeper Alaric had returned, and needless to say, he was not pleased to see Draigo in his Repository. Learning the Grey Knight had shown the audience his universe worsened his mood. Could it get worse? Yes it could, for Talos, Alaric's bronze automaton assistant, returned as well, and informed the Keeper that it had been Draigo and an unknown accomplice who had breached the wards of several universes kept within his and Phoenix's Repositories.

So, Alaric was now a seriously pissed off god-like entity, with the power to do almost anything imaginable with but a simple thought.

Remarkably, however, he was able to restrain himself and had not _yet_ peeled the skin off of Draigo's face. Neither had he gone on to shave Draigo's precious facial hair. Alaric actually appeared to be acting cautiously around the Grey Knight, and made no open attempts at violence.

"Draigo, you insane squig-shit," Keeper Alaric's voice was bereft of any warmth, civility, or goodwill. As he spoke, a simmering anger was evidently noticeable to the audience. Just because he was being cautious, it did not mean he was not going to be polite.

"Yes! Ordo Draigo, reporting!" Draigo responded to Alaric. Actually, it was six Draigos that spoke. Standing before the audience, Alaric, and Talos were six indentical copies of Draigo, each one moving insynchronise with the other.

"Okay, this has gone beyond surreal," Roman whispered to Neo. The pint-sized criminal nodding in response, she had made people see some wierd shit with her semblance, but, somehow this wierder than anything she or even Emerald had done.

"Blasted hell, Draigo! Stop with your shenanigans! And I swear, if you become a sun again, I will-" the Keeper was interrupted when the six Draigo's jumped into the air and collided together in a flash of blinding, multi-coloured light. "Draigo, no!"

Though they had difficulty seeing, everyone could see that the Draigos were melding into one being. And no, it was not some eldritch abomination, nor something like a Megazord or Voltron. They were just becoming one Draigo. Why? Because Draigo was insane and he had the power to do it.

"What is happening?!" Ruby cried out. She and the audience were shielding their eyes, because of how bright the light radiating off the Grey Knight was.

"Damn it, Draigo! You do this everytime you come here!" Alaric yelled at Draigo. He and Talos were also shielding their eyes. From withing the light, Draigo's booming voice rang out to the ears of all present.

"The Ordo Draigo unites to form the single, perfect Draigo!"

With an irritated growl, Alaric summoned a metal orb the size of a baby's head. A second later, dark-purple and black mist surrounded the orb, and Alaric threw it at Draigo. Draigo swatted the orb away with the blade of his sword, sending it flying back to Alaric. The Keeper spread his arms out like a bird stretches its wings out before taking flight, a magical purple circle like the glyphes used by the Schnees forming in front of him.

Impressive as it might have looked, the orb broke through the circle like cannonball through a glass window.

The orb flew right _into_ Alaric's mask. By _into_ I mean that the orb was absorbed into Alaric's mask. As the orb was sucked into the Keeper's white ceramic mask, Alaric pulled his right arm back, his hand snapping into a palm-strike position, and thrust his right arm forward. A a beam of dark-purple fire burst out from his palm and flew at Draigo.

The fire consumed Draigo, before forming into sphere made of a gelatinous substance that smothered the light radiating off of him. As this happened however, Draigo disappeared from the gelatinous sphere and appeared right in front of Alaric. Alaric did not even have a second to react before Draigo slammed the face of his shield into Alaric and sent the Keeper flying into a wall. Slammed into a wall, the Keeper then crumpled onto the floor like a sack of potatoes. The jelly-like sphere he had created to trap Draigo disappeared the moment he fell to the floor.

"Yes! Draigo wins again!" Draigo triumphantly said to himself. From his place on the floor, Alaric rose a middle finger at Draigo. "It is time for me to leave you now. I shall avenge you Janus!"

With that, Draigo picked up the decapitated daemon head he had used as a chair, stuffed it somewhere on his person, and charged into the cleaning supplies storage room. A portal opened inside the storage room, Draigo threw himself into it, and the portal closed behind him.

"Huh, well that happened," Nora said after a silent pause. She and the rest of the audience, and Talos, had stepped to the side and away from the short fight between Alaric and Draigo. It had looked kind of cool to be honest, but they knew better than to get involved in that mess.

"Indeed it did. This is the thirty-sixth such occurence that Draigo has defeated Keeper Alaric. Current record; Draigo thity-six, Keeper Alaric zero," Talos spoke up.

"Shut up and help me," Alaric commanded the automaton. Talos immediately obeying and helped the Keeper onto his feet.

"Why didn't you, I don't know, snap your fingers and turn Draigo into dust or whatever?" Cinder asked. The fight had intrigued her for it showed the half-Maiden, and the rest of the audience, that Alaric was not invincible nor omnipotent.

"You misinterpret my intentions," Alaric replied as he was helped onto his feet. "I did not desire his death, that orb was supposed to instantaneously send him back to his universe and lock him in there. And besides, Draigo, for reasons that escape me, is one of the few individuals whose death by a Keeper's hand may cause a catastrophic breakdown in the... uh, nevermind."

The audience had seen too much weird crap for them to even bother asking just what he meant by a 'catastrophic breakdown'.

"Talos, you start up the next universe, one of the Fates. I need a moment to wash up and change. I think I still smell of stomach acids," Alaric mumbled that last part to himself, before walking off into another room adjacent to the viewing room. Through his remote to Talos before disappearing through the door, and closing it behind him.

The bronze automaton caught the remote and did as he was instructed. The audience, deciding to roll with this turn of events, sat down and got ready to watch whatever universe they would be made to watch now.

"Hmmm, it appears Draigo's interference has caused some disruption to the list. Give me a moment as I bring us to where we should be," Talos went ahead and pressed a button on his remote. The screen started to play various universes.

 **"Arise, Rodimus Prime."**

"Was that a giant robot?" Penny asked Talos. The automaton giving no reply.

"Huh, I kind of want see a universe where giant robots fight each other now. That'd be awesome!" Sun said. Receiving high-fives from a Neptune, Yang, and Nora, all of whom wanted to see just that. Not wanting to miss out, Penny high-fived Sun, resulting in no small amount of pain for the monkey faunus when their hands connected.

That was not the universe they were supposed to see. So, Talos pressed another button, the scene on the TV screen changing.

 **"Lo siento, Sam. Me temo que no puedo hacer eso."**

"That cartoon rabbit's looks cute, but his eyes have crazy written all over them," Coco commented. Also, was that a dog, a robot, a very muscular guy, and a man with a mechanical arm playing poker together?

Again, wrong universe. Talos pressed his remote again.

 **"I don't like sand. It's coarse, rough, and irritating. And it gets everywhere."**

"I don't know why, but I feel like this is the start of a cringey romance scene." Taiyang said to Qrow.

"Yeah. Summer liked to watch a load of those," the drunken huntsmen responded before taking a drink from his glass.

Talos pressed the button with a bit more haste when they saw this one.

 **"I would rather betray the world, than have the world betray me."**

 _'Hmmm, not bad words to live by,'_ Cinder thought to herself. Maybe she should adopt it as her own motto.

The automaton pressed the button again.

 **"MY HANDS ARE SANDWICHES!"**

That was very odd and random one. Another press of a button.

 **"PEPSIMAN!"**

"I don't know why, but I want a cola right now." Neptune said to Sun.

Talos pressed another button on his remote.

 **"You utter fool! German science is the best in the world!"**

"Weiss. Why are you a cyborg with a machinegun for a stomach?" Ruby asked her white-haired partner. It was bizarre to look at, but at the same time, it was pretty cool to look at.

"Quiet, you dolt!" Weiss hissed at Ruby.

Another odd one, another button pressed.

 **"FUS RO DAH!"**

"Oooh, that universe looked cool," Nora said as she pointed to the screen.

"We should be close by now," Alaric called out to Talos and the audience. The Keeper had re-entered the room, and now wore fresh, clean robes, and his mask was no longer damaged.

"What kind of universe are we going to see?" Pyrrha asked Alaric.

"You'll see," Alaric replied. "My own knowledge on this branch of the Multiverse is limited. I don't really have the rights to record anything from it anymore."

"What happened there?" Ironwood questioned the Keeper.

"Yeah, I sold it shortly after I started to another Keeper. In exchange, I got rights to record from a Multiverse branch they had that I really wanted because that universe looked cool. But, I'll be able to tell you a few things here and there."

 **"I am god, and king! And you will never defeat me!"**

"The next one should be it," Alaric said as he sat onto a cushioned throne made of white marble that he had summoned.

"Wasn't that the Worker of Secrets?" Oobleck said. Recalling the speaker to be from one of the early universes they had seen.

 **"Then you should know, everyone runs from Shere Kahn."**

"Uh. After this one," Alaric assured the audience.

 _'A talking tiger? "Shere Kahn"? Why does he remind me of Sienna?'_ Ghira thought to himself as he looked on the tiger. He thought that it was because he was a tiger, and Sienna was a tiger faunus. But, he felt that there was more than just that which connected the two.

Talos pressed another button, and the audience were treated with the scene of a gathering of people standing at a dock. Several large storage containers of different colours surrounded them, the dock illuminated only by the light of streetlights and the dim moon.

 **Among those at the docks was a giant of a man, body bristling with muscles, atop a chariot bulled by bull-like creatures. His hair was black and he sported a short beard on his face. He wore a form-fitting cuirass of bronze over his torso, cuffs and greaves lined with fur, and a long purple skirt that fell just short of his feet. He wore nothing over his arms apart from the afore mentioned cuffs, displaying his well muscled arms, making a few in the audience harrumph in envy. Over his shoulders the giant man wore a fur-collared purple mantle that fell past the bottom edge of his skirt.**

 **Beside him on the chariot was a quivering little boy that was easily dwarfed by the giant man. The boy's shoulder length hair was white, and the hair that would cover his ears parted to the side. A single strand of hair falling down to his nose. He wore a white and light blue three piece suit, with an accompanying navy-blue tie.**

"Uh, dad?" Blake exclaimed in surprise. The tall man on the chariot, and dressed like some ancient monarch, greatly resembled her father, Ghira.

"Ghira dear?" Kali also expressed her surprise at seeing her husband's alternate onscreen. He did resemble Ghira, but, his hair and beard was slightly shorter, his clothes were different, and he was physically larger than Ghira.

The male panther faunus hummed at the sight of his alternate self. This universe would be interesting. Ghira promptly remarking to himself. "It seems I shall take a prominent place in this universe."

Over by the Weiss and Winter, the two recognised the white-haired boy standing with the man who was surely Ghira's alternate to be none other than their younger brother. The shoulder-length hair that this Whitely wore his hair as slightly irked the two, because Whitely always kept his hair short and had never seen him grow his hair like this version of him had. Their brother's appearance aside, the two sister's questioned what their brother was doing there.

"Ah, yes. Iskandar, as this aspect of him is known as. More commonly he's known as, Alexander the Great." Alaric explained.

That bit of information caught the attention of plenty in the audience. 'The Great', that was an interesting title for anyone to hold. In Remnant's own history, the number of people who are known by the title 'the Great' could be counted with the fingers of their hands and have some left over.

"Hmmm. What did I do to earn that title?" Ghira asked the smaller black robed man. 'The Great', that was a title that could mean anything. He could have done things that had earned him a good deal of fame, thus earning the title of 'the Great. But, the things he might have done to earn the title may be something he himself would not exactly approve of.

"Well. He conquered the largest land empire of his time in only about 10 years, the campaign started when he was in his early twenties. He was also a military leader with a spectacular record of victories."

"Okay. But what's the little kid doing with him?" Qrow grumbled from his chair. Still quite pissed at his portrayal in the last universe, and not thrilled to see the youngest Schnee sibling, who he had heard was a little shit.

"Talos, the book please," Talos commanded the bronze automaton. Talos reached an arm out, and a book materialised into his hand, once it was fully formed, he handed it over to Talos. The Keeper opened it and began to skim through a few pages. Noticing a few questioning looks from the audience, he scoffed at them and said. "What? Not even I know everything. Let's see. Ah, in this branch of the universe, people can summon the spirits of certain individuals from the past, or aspects of them, or even people who are something else altogether, to serve a summoner. These spirits, or Heroic Spirits, are called 'Servants', while the summoners or whoever controls them are called 'Masters'."

That was a bit to take in, but the audience quickly absorbed, and largely understood, what Alaric had said.

"So, Weiss and Winter's brother summoned Blake's dad? What for?" Nora asked Alaric. He waved her off and indicated that they continue watching.

 **Another of the people present at the docks was a remarkably handsome man with long blue hair that was combed back, a single strand of hair hanging over his face. He wore a form-fitting dark-blue and black outfit that clung tightly to his body without affecting his agility. The outfit also accentuated his well-toned physique. In both hands he held a spear, one coloured bright yellow, while the other was red.**

"Hey Neptune, that's you." Sun remarked with a nudge to his blue haired best friend.

"Dang! I look good," Neptune said with a look of admiration for his alternate self. And to be honest, several of the women in the audience had to admit that he looked highly attractive. Weiss, Yang, and Coco among them. He looked towards Alaric and asked him. "Who am I in this universe?"

"In this universe, you are the spirit of Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Ugh, that was difficult to say," Alaric grunted. "If I recall correctly, he was a warrior with this... um... magical beauty spot that made women instantly fall in love with him."

There was a long silent pause as the audience processed both the identity of Neptune's alternate in this universe, and the odd magical beauty spot that he had. It was not the weirdest thing they had heard of, but it was up there.

"Huh. I'm cool with it," Neptune shrugged. It sounded odd, but it could have been weirder. And besides, he looked good.

 **The last two present were both women.**

 **One was a young woman, with blonde hair and green eyes. She wore silvered armour over her torso, forearms and hands, and lower legs, with a few plates going over the skirt of the old-fashioned but well made dress she wore. In her right hand she held a longsword rendered invisibly a magical barrier of wind that surrounded the sword.**

 **The other woman had long black hair tipped with red, dazzling silver eyes, and incredibly pale skin. The woman wore a white coat with a white fur trim and a white fur hat atop her head. Under her coat, she wore long white boots over black tights.**

Among the audience, the two women had intrigued them for different reasons.

"I got to say, that blonde girl's rather... pretty." Jaune remarked upon seeing the blonde young woman. Pyrrha, who was still snuggly sat beside the blonde boy, frowned and pinched at his leg. The boy flinched in reaction to Pyrrha's action, and was confused as to why the girl had done so and why she refused to answer him.

"That is Artoria Pendragon. Also known as King Arthur, the King of Knights, and King of Britain." Alaric stated, confusing a good few in the audience.

"King? But she's-" Emerald started to say, but was interrupted by Alaric.

"Yes, she's a girl. Don't ask."

Alaric's refusal to elaborate on why the girl was also known by a masculine title and name left the audience confused. But, those who were better educated on history, Oobleck, and lived through most of it, Ozpin, chalked it up to be a case of the woman posing as a man, or a mistake or bias by historians.

It was then that they realised that the young, armoured woman looked rather similar to a woman in the audience with them.

"Wait a second," Port said as he looked to the blonde young woman, and his blonde haired colleague. "Glynda. Doesn't she look rather... familiar?"

"I'm guessing she is my alternate in this universe?" Glynda guessed.

"Yes indeed. A righteous young woman, and beloved by her knights and subjects. Defended and loved her country with all her heart." the Keeper responded as he read through the pages of the book he held.

Glynda rose a brow as she learnt more of her alternate. So, this version of her was both a knight and a monarch? Well, if one version of her could be black armoured soldier with superhuman physical abilities, and had an apparent talent and desire for inflicting pain by hitting a man in his crown jewels, Glynda guessed being a knight and 'king' was not a bad thing. And from Alaric's own words, this version of her was not a person who performed needless or excessive violent.

Silently, Alaric waited for the audience's reaction to the woman in white. It did not take long for them to focus on her.

"Hey Ruby, it's you!" Penny cheered at seeing her friend onscreen again. Hopefully this version of her would be more... likeable, compred to the last alternate of the red-hooded girl they had seen.

"That... I-I don't think that's Ruby." Yang corrected. The woman indeed did look like Ruby, but that did not feel like the right to say. That Ruby was an exact copy of the woman felt like a more correct assessment to Yang, and the minds of Ruby's relatives.

"Mom?" Ruby and Chibi Ruby said with shock in her voice, their lower lips trembling at the sight of the older woman who she looked identical too.

"Summer?" Taiyang, Qrow, and, though she whispered the woman's name, Raven, said in shock. Zwei and Shi barked at the TV screen at seeing the white clothed woman.

"Yep. Crazy, huh?" Alaric said, summoning a foot-rest in front of him and planted his feet on it, as he continued to speak. "I was going to show you a universe with her in it later, but I thought now would be a decent enough time to do so. If you desire it, I _could_ bring an alternate of her to join us later."

"You could?" Ruby immediately leapt for and looked pleadingly at Alaric. There was excitement in her eyes, an excitement that was different to, and went beyond, when she saw cool new weapons. There were others who had visibly reacted to the news that Alaric could bring a Summer Rose into the room and join them.

The Keeper did not answer Ruby, and indicated towards the screen, telling the audience to continue watching. They did was he said, but, for Ruby and a couple others, the thought of seeing Summer Rose again had latched onto the back of their minds and refused to let go.

 **"I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors. Brought forth to fight in this Holy Grail War as Rider!" Ghira's alternate proudly announced to all present.**

"'Holy Grail'?" Jeanne asked, the mention of it grabbing her attention immediately.

"'Holy Grail War'? And why'd he call himself 'Rider'?" Oscars also questioned.

"Holy Grail Wars are battles between individuals for the eponymous artifact, the Holy Grail. Why? Because it can grant the wishes of a Master and their Servant." "Every Holy Grail War the seven Servants summoned to fight in it fall under certain categories. There's Archer, Assassin, Berserker, Caster, Lancer, Rider, and Saber. This Holy Grail War, Iskandar is Rider, Diarmuid is Lancer, while Artoria is Saber."

A war for an artifact that could grant any wish they desired. Through the minds of all within the audience, thoughts on what they could do with such an artifact exploded. Some wished for the threat of the Grimm to be ended. Others peace and equality between Humans and Faunus. Some had more selfish wishes come to their minds.

Among the audience, Salem's eyes flashed with want at the mention of the artifact's power. If she had it, she would have wished that she be freed from her prison. Meanwhile, in Ozpin's mind, he believed that the wish he wanted was for his universe's Salem to finally be defeated.

 **"What are you thinking, you moron?" Whitely whined at Iskandar, grabbing onto the larger man's mantle to grab his attention if his voice did not. It was then that Weiss and Winter noticed that there appeared to be some sort of red mark or tattoo over his right hand.**

"Hmmm. What is that on Whitely's hand?" Winter asked out of curiosity.

"Command Seal. A magical symbol that shows a Master's authority over their Servant, and can be used to order them about." Alaric answered.

 **Iskandar spared Whitely a glance, before promptly flicking his finger at the boy's forehead. The flick easily knocking the boy over, much to the amusement of the two Schnee sisters and Qrow. Iskander then turned to the others and started to speak.**

 **"Of course, I am your enemy in the battle for the Holy Grail. But first, I would ask of you both..." Iskandar spread his arms out and thrust his closed fists into the air. "Would you consider surrendering yourselves and acquiescing the Grail to me? Do so, and I shall welcome you as allies! Follow me, and you shall know the thrills of world domination!"**

"He is definitely a different man to you, Ghira." Kali remarked from her seat beside her husband. Ghira nodded at her words, he had never had ambitions for such a thing in his life, and was surprised that an alternate version of himself had them.

They were watching the Multiverse, so he understood why things, and people, would be different.

 **"I'm afraid I must decline. I made a pact to deliver the Grail to none other than my new lord, who summoned me here. And you are not him, Rider!" Diarmuid responded, declining Iskandar's proposal.**

 **"You saw fit to interrupt Lancer and my duel, merely to spout that gibberish? To a knight, that is a grave insult!" Artoria/Saber added.** **Iskandar remained calm upon hearing the two Servants' refusal to his offer. He looked down at the fingers of his right hand, and spoke some more.**

 **"I can make it worth your while."**

 **"Enough!" Saber and Lancer said in unison.**

 **"Moreover," Artoria continued to say, "I am a King as well... The King of Britain. No matter how exalted you may be, I could never lower myself to be another's subject!"**

 **"The King of Britain, you say?" Iskandar muttered, before planting both hands on his hips and smiling at Artoria. "Incredible! To think that the King of Knights was a little girl!"**

 **"Would you care to taste this little girl's steel," Artoria gripped her invisible sword with both hands and rose its blade towards Iskandar. "King of Conquerors?"**

"Wait, we were duelling?" Neptune asked.

"Well, like Alaric said, you're both Servants. So, you must have Masters. Masters who I am guessing are not going to just let the other have the Holy Grail. Correct?" Cinder threw into the conversation. Alaric nodded once, and rested his hands behind his head.

 **Rider let his arms fall to his sides and let out a deep sigh of resignation. Beside him, Whitely was getting up onto his feet, but, stopped and froze when he saw that Artoria had raised her sword in his general direction. Iskandar went on to scratch the top of his head and said.**

 **"It appears negotiations have broken down. Damn, what a shame."**

 **"Rider!" Whitely cried out.**

 **The camera cut to a view of the events going on at the docks from atop a rooftop. A scope was raised, and the audience could see Whitely beat his small clenched fists against Iskandar's arm and tugging at his mantle, the taller man looking down at the boy.**

The audience raised a brow at what they were seeing. Was this a mysterious third party that were acting in the shadows?

 **Another cut showed a man with blonde hair in a dark trench coat kneeling atop a rooftop and looking down at the events going on using a rifle with a scope attachment. At another location, a woman, also armed with a rifle, was doing the same as him. She had black hair, pale skin, and red eyes.**

 **"Did that oaf truly rule the world once?" The blonde man said. The woman remained silent and continued to watch what was going on at the docks.**

"Wait, was that me?" Taiyang asked, recognising the man in the trench coat to be none other than himself, even if his hair was longer and lacked facial hair.

"Sure is. And you and Summer are married," Alaric informed the blonde single father. The Keeper then turned his head to the side, coughed, and spoke quickly enough that the audience were not able catch what he said. "*Cough* That often turns out as well as it usually does. *Cough*"

"What?" Tai, and a couple others, questioned, Alaric.

"Nothing!" Alaric quickly responded. In plenty of universes, he had seen a trend where Tai tended to have... not the best luck when it came to women. Moving on, Tai decided to ask another question, this time about why he, and the woman who he recognised, were there in the first place.

"Well, what am I and... Raven doing there?"

The woman with the rifle was indeed the leader of the Branwen Tribe. The woman in question casting a questioning look ag Alaric, no doubt wanting to know what kind of relationship she and Tai had in this universe.

"Hmmm. Oh yeah, you are Artoria's Master, but, you don't really connect well with each other," Alaric explained as he listened to his right hand clapping. "So Summer's there because she and Artoria get along where you two don't. Raven's there because... uh... you and Taiyang are... uh... close associates. Yeah, let's leave it at that. Close associates!"

That last part was an ominous answer.

 **Back at the docks, Whitely gripped Iskandar's mantle firmly and started to say his Servant.**

 **"Listen, you..." He did not get to finish whatever he was going to say, for a voice, coming from somewhere in the distance and amplified by artificial means to reach the individuals at the docks, interrupted Whitely and said.**

 _ **"I see. It was you, of all people."**_ **Whitely froze up, beads of sweat began to fall from his head as he looked frantically around the docks for the source of the voice. Clinging on to Iskandar's mantle as if some horror would come out of the shadows, and snatch him away.** **"I** _ **wondered who could possibly have been mad enough to steal my summoning relic. But never did I expect you to have the guts to enter the Holy Grail War yourself. Whitely Schnee."**_

"What the hell's up with him?" Roman remarked. The boy looked like he was about to have a major breakdown.

"I do not think I have seen Whitely act like that before," Weiss almost felt sorry for this version of her brother. Almost. Still, what could inspire this Whitely to experience such dread? Who was the man that was talking right now?

"What is your brother like, anyway?" Yang asked Weiss and Winter. She had not heard much about the third and youngest of the Schnee siblings.

The two Schnee sister looked at each other, and wordlessly discussed with each other about what they were to say in response. Whitely was, in crass words, a little piece a shit who disliked Huntsmen and Huntresses, despite his very own older sisters graduating, in Winter's case, and aspiring to graduate as one, in Weiss' case.

"I'm... not sure you would like him," Weiss replied to Yang's question.

"Who's speaking by the way?" Fox interjected with a question of his own. "I don't think we've heard this man before."

Over by Cinder, the expression on the half-Maiden's face had turned into a sour frown. She knew whose voice this was.

 **The camera moved to a shot of the docks from one of the warehouses that overlooked the three Servants and Summer. A person walking onscreen.**

 _ **"But this is quite convenient. It's the perfect chance to impart a very special lesson unto you."**_ **The person was revealed to be a man in a grey** **long coat, his gloved hands behind his back. He had black** **hair, a thick** **moustache that rivalled Port's** **, and green** **eyes. A smug, condescending smile on his face as he continued to speak from his vantage point.** _ **"You will learn what it means for two mages to fight to the death. You will be thoroughly familiar with all the fear and pain that it entails. You should feel honoured."**_

 **As he spoke, Whitely had fallen onto his knees with his hands over his ears in an attempt to shut out the man's voice, his body trembling.**

"Who is this man?" Ozpin asked Alaric. The Keeper stretched his arms and grunted before he answered the Headmaster of Beacon.

"Arthur Watts. He's Lancer's Master. He is a mage, and is also Whitely's teacher. If I recall, he's a douche, like, a really huge douche."

"I think we could tell from just his voice and words alone," Mercury cut in. For some reason, he felt like he really did not like the man, despite how this was the first time seeing him.

Cinder sent a spiteful glare at the Watts onscreen. The man had mocked her repeatedly for failing to extract all of the Fall Maiden's powers from Amber Autumn. She had not personally seen the older man for some time, their short conversations happening through untraceable calls or texts, but she knew that he sneered at her and even whenever her name was mentioned in his presence. If he was not so 'indisposable' she would have done away with him a _long_ time ago.

 **Unexpectedly, Iskandar gently placed one of his huge hands on Whitely's back. The boy looked up and he, and the audience, saw the King of Conquerors give the white-haired boy a comforting smile, before looking up at where Watts** **stood and shouted up at him.**

 **"You there, mage! It sounds as though you were intended to be my master instead of this boy! Let me say, the mere idea makes me ill! Only the man with the courage to stand beside me on the battlefield is fit to be my Master! A coward, too afraid to show his face, is not fit for the role!"**

 **Iskandar let out a laugh, while Watts grit** **his teeth at Iskandar's words.**

"That's... not exactly something I ever expected to see or hear from you, or an alternate of you that is." Kali said to her husband. It was not that she did not expect him to say such defiant words, it was that she did not expect Ghira to say such words in defence of a Schnee.

"Yes. Me standing with a Schnee," Ghira quietly muttered to himself.

Back during his time as High Leader of the White Fang, he had been very vocal about his disapproval of the SDC's treatment of their Faunus workforce. That he was standing up for one, even if it was in a different universe, felt strange to him. At least this Weiss girl that Blake was teammates with seemed alright enough. Maybe she could turn things around in the SDC, and maybe the idea of him standing up for a Schnee might become a possibility in the future.

Maybe.

It was then that Sun leaned over and said to the older Belladonnas.

"I fought with Blake against a giant robot once." Ghira gave Sun a blank look, while Kali rose her brow and looked at Blake. The mother wanting to know more about what her daughter had gotten into while with the rest of Team RWBY and Sun. Blake herself had facepalmed at Sun's words, simple as that.

 **Iskandar stopped laughing and shouted out towards the others who were watching what was happening at the docks.**

 **"And the rest of you! I know you are hiding in the darkness, spying on us."**

 **"What do you mean, Rider?" Artoria asked the King of Conquerors. The large man rose a hand and gave her a thumbs up.**

 **"Saber and Lancer." Iskandar turned his head to look on the King of Knights and the warrior with the magical beauty spot. "Your battle was fought fairly and with honour. It was splendid! I cannot imagine myself to be the only Heroic Spirit drawn by the ringing of your clashing weapons."**

 **"Heroes summoned by the Grail, let us gather!" Iskandar rose his hands and clenched them until his knuckles were white. His head now raised up to look at the sky and shouted at the dark blue sky. "And to those too paralyzed by fear to show their faces, know that Iskander, King of Conquerors, h** **olds you all in utter contempt!"**

"That was... quite the speech," Raven mumbled to herself more than to anyone else.

 **As Iskandar finished his speech, the scene changed to a darkened room lit only by a single candle. A man or woman sat next to what looked like a gramophone, a contemplative look on his or her face. The audience could nof tell who they were because of how dimly lit the room was, and beacuse there was some sort of distortion on the screen.**

"What's wrong here?" Ren asked Alaric.

"What? Ugh, someone screwed up when they recorded this universe. Give me a moment," the Keeper said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. He pressed a few buttons on his remote, the TV screen turned to static for a moment, before returning to the scene they had been watching. "There we g-Oh for Heaven's sake!"

The distortion had lightened only by a small bit. Allowing the audience to see that the person in the room was a man in a three-piece suit, though, aside from that, nothing else could be gleamed. Not even the colour of his suit.

"You know what? Forget it!" Alaric grumbled frustratedly as he waved at the TV. "This is what you get when a Keeper doesn't do their job properly."

A couple in the audience looked to each other. Was Alaric not doing his job properly right now?

 **"This…" the distorted mystery man started. His voice just as distorted as his appearance, and the audience had a hard time hearing exactly what he had said. The screen changed to a scene of woman, too far to make out any special features about him, except that she wore a dark suit and had blonde hair, stood before a gramophone like the one present in the distorted man's room.**

 **"Yes," the woman in the dark suit said.**

 **"This is bad," the distorted man's voice spoke through the gramophone-like device. The scene changed again to a man in a heavy, dark cloak with emerald-green hair overlooking the events at the docks.**

 **"Agreed," the cloaked figure muttered.**

"Well. That was ominous," Fox stated. The audience turned to Alaric, half-expecting him to give them some kind of explanation, but the Keeper chose not to provide any information, and had crossed his arms. Seeing that they would not get any answers, the audience shrugged and kept on watching.

Meanwhile, Salem thumbed her chin after she heard the woman in the dark suit speak. Her voice sounded similar to her her own, and, though it was hard to see, the woman's hair was styled in the way she currently had her own hair done. What role did she have in all this? And why did she feel like there was something not quite right with this version of herself?

Emerald looked on the emerald haired man who was watching the events at the docks and felt that there was something odd about him. The thief felt that this was her, but strangely she felt that she was looking at several people. Well, at least this version of her was not doing something stupid like that version of Mercury who got his ass handed to him over food.

 **Suddenly, golden dust-like particles materialised and began to coalesce above one of the streetlights. These particles came together and formed into a man in golden plate armour with red robes, amber eyes with an inhuman feel to them, and black hair. The others at the docks, Masters and Servants alike, looked on as this happened with awe.**

 **"That's..." Whitely began to say.**

 **"The Servant who killed Assassin!" Watts said.**

 **"Not one, but two insolent dogs disregard my majesty," the golden armoured man haughtily said, "to purport themselves as kings?"**

"Who's this?" Velvet asked Alaric, curious of the identity of the golden armoured new arrival.

"Ah. Gilgamesh," the Keeper spoke, a measure of reverence in his voice.

"Who?" Mercury questioned, interrupting Alaric before he could say anything.

"Ugh, I'll tell you if you just let me! You all really like to ask questions, don't you?" Alaric scoffed at them, he had really not anticipated the number of times he would have to explain things to his guests. "This is Gilgamesh, well, a version of him anyway. He is 'The First Hero', in not just his universe mind you, but the entire Multiverse. All Gilgameshes are alternates of the first Gilgamesh, a great king who was later deified by his people after his death. This guy, an alternate of you dear Cinder, is a giant ass though."

"Well, the guy's _hot_ at least. Get it?" Yang remarked, it took the audience and Alaric a moment to figure out the pun in her words.

This Gilgamesh was an alternate of Cinder, and the word cinder related to fire, and fire was hot. Gilgamesh was handsome, that was without a doubt, but the pun was just terrible.

All of the audience groaned in frustration and annoyance, some shook their heads or planted their faces into the palms of their hands. A couple gave her a thumbs down. Neo produced a sign from nowhere, a frowning emoji on it, while stick her tongue at her. While Cinder wanted to burn all the hair off of Yang's head. Raven and Qrow looked at Tai, the only person who did not disapprove of Yang's attempt at humour, and gave him a look saying that it was his fault for getting Yang into puns.

 **"That's an odd thing to quibble about," Iskandar looked up at Gilgamesh, and as he scratched his cheek with a finger, introduced himself to the gold clad spirit. "I am Iskandar, known throughout the world as King of Conquerors."**

 **"Foolishness," Gilgamesh said with a bemused snort. As if Iskandar's words were a bad joke told by a small child or an ant. "I am the only true king to stride this Earth. All others are but mongrels and peasants before me."**

"Prideful much?" Coco spoke up from her seat with the rest of Team CFVY. She did not know whether to call him by his name, or just address him as 'dick'.

"Prideful is an understatement, I believe." Glynda added.

"You have no idea," Alaric remarked.

 **"If you make such claims, then state your name!" Iskandar demanded of Gilgamesh. "Surely a fellow king would not hesitate to name himself to his enemies."**

 **"You dare issue demands to me, cur? To your king?" The tone of Gilgamesh's voice changed and sounded as if he had been gravely insulted, or someone had attempted to strike at him. Beneath him, the streetlight began to flicker, annoyed, Gilgamesh stomped the heel of his left foot on the streetlight, breaking it and stopping its flickering. "Blessed to personally bask in my glory, you still cannot even recognise me. You are uncivilised animals, unworthy of your lives!"**

 **Suddenly, two portals that radiated a bright golden light materialised behind Gilgamesh's shoulders. Moments later, a sword and a spear exited the portals, creating ripples on the liquid-like portals.**

This further display of Gilgamesh's attitude put off a lot of the audience. He now really sounded like an arrogant, self-centred prick more than anything else right now. The appearance of the portals behind him, and that weapons that emerged from them, considerably surprised the audience.

 **"Ah, that's the move he used to slay Assassin." Iskandar said to himself, seemingly not at all fazed by the emergence of these weapons.**

 **Meanwhile, Artoria run over to Summer and stood in front of her as if to shield her from any attack. The screen changed to a view of Taiyang's scope, which was currently focused on Gilgamesh.**

 **"That's his Noble Phantasm," Taiyang muttered to either himself or Raven.**

"'Noble Phantasm'?" Ironwood asked Alaric. The Keeper leafed through a few pages of the book on his lap, and explained what the Tai onscreen meant once he found the aplropriate page.

"It's the weapons or abilities of a Heroic Spirit. They usually have something to do with the Spirit's past or even things, though not actually true, may be related to them somehow. I think that's how it works anyway. This Noble Phantasm of Gilgamesh's is 'The Gate of Babylon', where he opens portals to a vault full of weapons he collected over the years, and uses them as projectiles."

That intrigued the audience from modern Remnant. From the way Alaric had presented it, Noble Phantasms were similar to Semblances. Gilgamesh's sounded very unique and powerful to most of the audience. In fact, they were unaware of any Aura-user on Remnant that had a semblance that came close to or was similar to Gilgamesh's Gate of Babylon. It might have been admirable, highly impressive even, but, there was a problem however.

"Why does a dick have to have the over-powered ability?" Coco complianed, voicing the problem.

"Coco, you havs a handbag that turns into a minigun capable of killing Death Stalkers and Nevermore in a few shots. I don't think you should be one to complain about things being 'over-powered'." Yatsuhashi interjected.

"Yeah? Well, he's an over-powered dick. I'm fashionably over-powered," Coco responded. Yatsuhashi, and the rest of team CFVY, decided not to argue. Coco had good memory, and would make them carry a larger amount of bags on their next outing to the shops if they tried to argue with her any further.

 **There was a long, tense moment between the four Servants and their Masters, most of them focused on Gilgamesh. The TV screen switching between close-ups of each of their faces. Looks of determination on Artoria and Diarmuid. An oddly calm expression on Iskandar's face. A worried and unsure expression on Summer's face, while Whitely was sweating and hung closely to Iskandar. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh's weapons angled themselves so their tips were aimed at the Servants and Master beneath him, a malicious smile on his face.**

 **Another scene change, this time of a man wearing a dark hood that obscured his face, somewhere out of sight of the others.**

"Another mysterious person acting from the shadows?" Pyrrha remarked to herself. There seemed to be a lot of those in this universes.

"Who is that?" Jaune asked Alaric. The Keeper leafed through a few pages of his book, but quickly gave up and waved the blonde boy's question aside. Seems they were not getting answers to that question either.

Cinder squinted her eyes, and frowned again. Though she could not see all of his face, enough of it was exposed for her to realise that it was Tyrian Callows. Again, another one of Salem's servants, and a complete nut-job.

 **"Kill them all," the hooded figure said to seemingly no one. Back at the docks, a bust of black smoke interrupted the tense exchange that was happening. As the smoke began to fade away, a figure was revealed to be kneeling in the smoke. The figure was taller than a normal human being, clad in a full suit of knightly armour with a long plume atop his helm, and was constantly shrouded by a black smoke. Red light glowing from the slit of his visor.**

 **The creature got onto its feet, tossed back its head, and let out a feral drawn-out roar.**

The audience were _very_ alarmed by the emergence of the black creature. Both because of its sudden entrance into the scene, and its it fearsome appearance. More than that, the audience could feel something radiate off of the black armoured creature. The only thing that the audience could equate this feeling to was madness. Was the creature insane? What was the creature?

 **"Berserker?" Artoria exclaimed.**

"Berserker?" The audience collectively parroted Artoria. Remembering Alaric's earlier words about the types of Servants, they recallled that one was categorised as 'Berserker'. Was this _thing_ a Servant?

"Behold, Lancelot du Lac, once one of Artoria Pendragon's finest knights and a good friend of hers. A sad story, Lancelot." Alaric chose not to elaborate further on Lancelot or who it was he was an alternate of, not even when asked to explain by the audience. It was only when asked the reason why Lancelot was in such a mentally unstable state that Alaric acquiesced. "The actions of a good person, such as Lancelot's king, Artoria, can drive another person to perform terrible things."

Alaric's answer was odd, and left a lot of space for conjecture. From what the audience could tell, Artoria must have done something that had negative effects, and Lancelot suffered for Artoria's actions. But, what was it that she could have done that could turn Lancelot, 'her finest knight', into a hateful madman?

 **"Well, King of Conquerors, why not try recruiting him?" Neptune said to Iskandar.**

 **"I would try, but he doesn't seem the type to sit down and negotiate." Iskandar's eyes remained focused on the new arrival as he said to Whitely. "Okay, boy. How does he measure up as a Servant?"**

 **"I don't know. I can't tell at all," Whitely said with a shake of his head. The boy was absolutely terrified.**

 **"What? What kind of excuse of a Master are you?" Iskandar leaned forward and went on to say to Whitely. "Can't you even see his weaknesses, strengths, basic things like that?"**

 **"No, I can't," Whitely responded. Trembling more so than he had before. "That black creature is definitely a Servant, but I can't read its status, or anything else!"**

 **"It seems we have another powerful opponent to confront," Summer remarked. Unlike Whitely, she kept up a strong appearance, and did not seem to waver at the sight of Lancelot's fearsome appearance. Same went for Artoria, who seemed more determined than ever to protect Summer.**

 **"That Heroic Spirit is under an enchantment that obscures his identity and abilities. But that isn't all," Artoria spoke. "Faced with four enemies at once, we cannot afford the slightest mistake."**

 **The tension in the air was thick. The eyes of all were focused on either Gilgamesh or Berserker.**

In the audience, they were waiting anxiously for someone to make the first move. Was it going to be the gallant Artoria? The charming Diarmuid? The eccentric Iskandar? The arrogant Gilgamesh? Or the insane Lancelot?

 **Back with Taiyang, he had focused his sights on Lancelot.**

 **"Why did he materialise now?" Raven asked him from her position. The blonde haired man quickly responding to her question.**

 **"If his Master were rational, I cannot imagine he would insert his Servant directly in the middle of this chaos." A cut to a view of Raven's scope showed that she had focused her sights on the emerald-green haired man wearing a heavy cloak. "Raven, keep Assassin in your sights. I'll search for Berserker's Master."**

"So, I'm a Servant as well? Assassin?" Emerald mused, though, she quickly remembered something and brought it up. "Didn't they say Assassin was killed earlier?"

"Yep. Hassan-i-Sabbah, is the 'name' of this version of you. I say 'name' because really it was a pseudonym for about nineteen individuals who led a group called the 'Hashshashin', spies and assassins." Alaric began to explain as he quickly read from the book on his lap. "Nifty trick this version of you's got as well, 'cause though you're one Servant, you got several bodies. Each one with their own personality, but ultimately, they're all still you."

Emerald hummed in mild approval upon learning about this alternate version of herself. Yeah, she was thousands of times better than that version of Mercury.

 **Gilgamesh turned his head to his left slightly and looked at Berserker from the corner of his eyes. The smoke shrouded Servant looked back at the King of Heroes.**

 **"Who gave you permission to look upon me, you rabid dog?" Gilgamesh contemptuously frowned at Lancelot as he turned his head to face forward again. The we** **apons behind him moved the Gilgamesh's right, illuminating that side of him with the light of the portals, and aimed at Lancelot. "See to it that your death amuses me, mongrel."**

 **The spear and sword shot forward in a blink of an eye, and seemingly exploded in an eruption of smoke and fire the moment they struck Lancelot.**

"That was quick," Mercury snorted. Lancelot _sure_ lasted long.

"That can't have been it," Yang said in disbelief. Lancelot had probably moved out of the way faster than the eye could see, or did something that left him unharmed by the explosion.

 **The smoke from the explosion dissipated, revealing Lancelot still standing where he was. No sign of injury on his body, and the sword Gilgamesh had shot at him in his right hand.**

"Knew it," Yang said upon seeing Lancelot still standing. He actually looked pretty badass in the way that he was just standing there, and barely looked as if he had moved at all.

"But, how did he survive that?" Oscar asked. The question of how the shadowy knight had survived was not the only question on the table. Lancelot was holding on the sword Gilgamesh had shot at him, how had that happened?

The audience would have their answer soon enough.

 **Looking on, most of the others displayed stunned awe at Lancelot's survival. Diarmund saying in shock.**

 **"Is that really Berserker?"**

 **"That's quite the technique for one who is beyond rational thought," Iskandar remarked. Mildly impressed by what he had seen. Standing beside him,** **Whitely expressed** **confusion at his words. Thumbing his chin, Iskandar went on to elaborate.** **"Oh, you** **couldn't tell?** **That black thing snatched the sword out of the air, then used it to knock aside the spear."**

 **Sure enough, a slowed rewind of what had happened was shown.**

 **The sword Gilgamesh sent flying at Lancelot flew towards his head, but the Servant turned his head so that the blade barely missed him by a few centimetres. Then, he spun round and snatched the sword with his right hand before it struck the ground behind him. Turning back to Gilgamesh, Lancelot rose the sword up and struck the spear's tip with the blade of the sword in his hand. Causing the explosion everyone had seen.**

"Impressive reflexes," Ironwood commented. Iskandar had been correct, the black shrouded Servant did indeed possess impressive levels of agility and speed that was unexpected for someone of their mental state.

 **"You presume to soil my precious treasures with your filthy hands?" Gilgamesh said to Lancelot.** **A quick cut to Gilgamesh's face showed his nostrils flaring, before he turned towards Lancelot from atop the streetlight he was stood upon.** **"Do you desire death that badly, cur?!"**

 **As he yelled that last part, several more portals opened up behind him. Swords, spears, halberds, axes, and a number of various other types of weapons of magnificent make and design emerging from the golden portals behind Gilgamesh.**

 **"Are you kidding me?" Whitely could be heard muttering to himself.**

 **"How long can your petty thievery keep you alive? Show me!" The weapons shot forth the moment Gilgamesh finished speaking** **, all aimed at Lancelot.**

 **Lancelot was able to catch the first weapon from this new attack from Gilgamesh with his free hand. He was sent skidding backwards though, his feet, which were firmly planted on the grand, tore up the ground before he came to a stop. A second later, another weapon came close to hitting Lanxelot, but he struck it with the weapon in his left hand, and deflected another weapon not a moment later.**

 **Two more weapons flew at Lancelot. The insane Servant knocked one aside with the sword in his right hand, spun where he stood and parried the other. Sending it to the floor, and causing an explosion**

 **Another spear came lancing towards Lancelot. The Servant looked towards it, and less than a second later, another large explosion engulfed the area where Lancelot had stood.** **A moment later, the red light that glowed from Lancelot's visor slit cut through the resulting smoke from the explosion, and the Servant leapt out from it.**

 **Two more weapons, a sword and an axe, cut through the smoke, relentlessly pursuing Lancelot wherever he went.**

 **Lancelot turned his head to the side and saw the fast approaching weapons coming after him. Turning as he moved, Lancelot threw the sword in his right hand at the sword that was flying towards him. Both weapons clashed with a ring of metal striking metal, and flew far into the air. The axe came next, but, Lancelot was able to catch the weapon as it spun towards him and cut another weapon in two. The fragments flew into a shipping container behind him, cutting through the metal, and exploding a moment later.**

 **Standing tall and surrounded by smoke from all the explosions that had happened around him, Lancelot spun the halberd in his left hand, and planted it firmly into the ground beside him.**

 **More weapons came flying towards him. A sword came spinning horizontally at Lancelot, yet he proved faster than the weapons of Gilgamesh, and grabbed hold of it with his now free left hand. A blur of motion, the audience watched as Lancelot deflected three more weapons, creating a large cloud of smoke around him from all the explosions from the weapons.**

 **Bursting out from the smoke, Lancelot made to advance towards Gilgamesh himself, but one last weapons darted towards him. Again, Lancelot reacted quickly and brought the head of the axe he held cleaving down onto the weapon the moment it came within arm's length of him. And again, another massive explosion, this time accompanied by the very floor around Lancelot cracking.**

 **From his position atop the streetlight, Gilgamesh looked on with a frown on his face. All that, and Lancelot was still not put down?**

 **Then, the axe and sword Lancelot had been able to snatch from the air came flying out of the cloud of smoke and towards Gilgamesh. The two weapons did not reach Gilgamesh, but cut apart the streetlight he was stood upon. Gilgamesh leaping high into the air before the streetlight beneath him was sliced apart by his own 'precious treasures'.**

 **With a loud clatter, one of the pieces of the streetlight fell to the ground. Gilgamesh gracefully landing on the floor a moment later. Over by the dissipating cloud of smoke, Lancelot could be seen standing there impassively.**

"Does he have a phase three?" Jaune jokingly asked, though, a lot of the audience gave him odd looks. Seeing that most of the audience get what he had said, the boy quickly attempted to explain himself. "I-It's a video game reference! Hehehe."

Thankfully, a few in the audience, such as Ruby, Yang, Sun, and even Qrow understood Jaune and gave the boy a thumbs up, or just lightly chuckled at the boys attempt at humour. It was slightly better than Yang's awful puns at least.

 **"Ignorant fool... I belong amongst the heavens," Gilgamesh muttered, his head lowered so that his chin was parallel to his chest, and his body shaking with rage. The King of Heroes threw back his head and looked at Lancelot, an expression of outrage on his face and he said to the other Servant. "Yet, you would have _me_ trod upon the ground?! Your impudence has guaranteed your death!"**

 **As Gilgamesh spoke, a wall of golden portals materialised behind him. A multitude of weapons emerging from them, and all aimed at Lancelot.**

 **"You mongrel... When I am through with you, nothing will remain of your corpse!" Gilgamesh continued to yell at Lancelot. The knightly looking, and smoke covered Servant not even seeming to register the other Servant's words, nor the threat he posed to him.**

The audience were speechless right now, and waited with bated breath for what was going to happen next.

 **"Gilgamesh is serious," Assassin informed the distorted man from his perch. "He's about to unleash his Gate of Bablyon even further."**

 **"Repeatedly using his Noble Phantasm before so many enemies... How very rash of him," the distorted man muttered to himself.**

 **"My master, what will you do?" The woman in the dark suit, who looked and sounded like Salem, asked the man.**

 **The distorted man rose his slightly visible right arm, revealing his own Command Sesl on the back of his right hand, and said. "King of Heroes, quell thine anger and withdraw."**

A few in the audience rose their brows and looked on in intrigue at the distorted man's utilisation of a Command Seal. Those who decided to think on it surmised that there must be some kind of magical connection between the two that made the Servant subservient to the Master, and that something about the connection could be used to give Servants specific orders no matter where the two were.

 **Back at the docks, Gilgamesh stopped himself from launching this new onslaught at Lancelot. He looked far into the distance somewhere and said.**

 **"You have the gall to order a king to retreat? To leave the fight undone? You have much nerve," Gilgamesh was visibly bitter and incensed by the order to leave his fight with Lancelot unfinished, but he complied and dispelled all the portals behind him. Any of the weapons that survived their brief engagement turned into golden dust-like particles and disappeared. Without looking at Lancelot, Gilgamesh grumbled. "You've been spared this time, mad dog."**

 **Gilgamesh went on to look to the others and said to them.**

 **"As for the rest of you mongrels. By our next encounter, I expect you rabble to have culled your numbers. Only true heroes are worthy of gazing upon me."**

 **With that, Gilgamesh turned away from them all and started to walk away. His body turned into golden particles like his weapons had and disappeared completely.**

 **The screen then turned to black.**

Seeing that it was over, the audience expressed a few of their thoughts on what they had just watched.

"Man, that Gilgamesh was _really_ full of himself." Mercury uttered, earning a fiery glare from Cinder. Gilgamesh was Cinder's alternate, so Mercury was indirectly calling _her_ 'full of herself.'

"We got to see mom!" Ruby and Chibi Ruby said to Tai, Yang, and Qrow. There was a solemn joy in her voice. They knew that it was not their Summer, but at least they got to see a version of her again.

"Huh, I kinda wanted to see more from that universe." Oscar said, voicing his thoughts on the universe.

"Indeed. Those Heroic Spirits, Servants, whatever they are, were rather intriguing." Ported added his own two cents.

"It was interesting," Winter mumbled. She and Weiss were still thinking on this universe's version of Whitely, and just how different he was from their own brother.

"Yeah. I wanted to see how that fight between Gilgamesh and Lancelot would turn out if Gilgamesh's Master just let the two fight each other." Sun stated, earning a few sounds of agreement meeting the monkey faunus' words.

"My money's behind Lancelot. He was _totally_ going to wipe the floor with that pissy little dandy." Nora spoke up, voicing her opinion on the fight they had just watched happen between those two Servants.

As the audience were talking to themselves, Alaric handed the book he had been using to provide information on this universe to the audience back to Talos. The two quietly spoke to each other, before Talos, who had been just standing by a wall throughout the entire viewing, left the room and into the main Repository. Alaric went back to his seat, but stopped beside Ren. From nowhere, the Keeper produced a silver coin and handed it to the Mistrali boy.

"Here, flip this coin." Alaric said to Ren. The boy accepted the coin and quickly examined it. It was a simple silver coin, a sword engraved on one face, and a moon-like sphere on the other.

"What for?" Ren asked Alaric.

"The next universe. We're going back to two universes I showed you earlier, and I want to mix things up a little." "Heads, one universe. Tails the other."

"Are you going to tell us what universe you're going to make us watch next?" Salem questioned Alaric. The Keeper did not verbally answer her, but just looked back at her with a 'do you really think I would do that' look in his eyes. Seeing that he would not answer her, Salem sighed and said. "I see."

"Well, here goes." And with that, Ren flipped the coin, sending it high into the air.

* * *

 **There we go, a chapter for the Fate series. Later on I will do one for Fate stay/night, Fate Apocrypha and Unlimited Blade Works.**

 **If any of you are wondering why I 'distorted' Tokiomi, and did not mention who Lancelot was a alternate of, is because I could not think of who they should be while I was writing this.**

 **Next chapter is either going to be, like I said before, For Honor or Destiny. If you feel inclined to do so, you can request which of the two you want. If there is no conclusive result, I'll just flip a coin myself three days after this update has been released.**

 **Heads is For Honor. Tails is Destiny.**

 **For Honor**

 **My original plan for it is that it will be a level from the Viking campaign. Particularly, the 'Up The Beach' level. But, after the enthusiastic suggestion of a reader, I might do something else. Either the cinematic story '1000 years of war' and 'I am Apollyon' trailer, or the trailers of the various heroes. Since the Wulin heroes and the new Black Prior do not have their own individual trailers like the ones from before, I suppose I will have to write how I think they would be like if the Wulin heroes and the Black Prior did have individual trailers.**

 **Destiny**

 **Either something from Destiny and the Taken War, or we go straight into Destiny 2 and the Red War. The one in Destiny will show how far the Guardian has gone, and will be part of a fireteam made up of members of RWBY characters. The chapter on Destiny 2 I intend to show loss, and will feature character deaths.**

 **After those, well, I have a _very_ wide selection of ideas to choose from.**

 **I will see you all when I next see you.**


	25. Destiny: The Coming War

**Author's Note:**

 **By majority vote by readers, this chapter shall be about Destiny.**

 **Had to help clean and repaint the walls of the home for a few days, making me without access to my computer for a bit, so this chapter took a bit longer to complete.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Destiny: The Coming War**

The coin rose and fell from the air. The audience watched it until it fell into Alaric's out-stretched palm, the Keeper's fingers snapping shut the moment the silver coin laned on his hand. Opening his hand, Alaric saw it had landed with the side of the coin baring the moon-like sphere facing up. The Keeper nodded once, and turned his hand over and let the coin fall to the floor, the coin evaporating before it hit the floor.

"So?" Blake asked, wondering like all the others what the result was.

"Give me a moment. First, I must inform you all that I shall be sending some of you back to your universes, or I will just send you into an adjacent room to wait until I believe your relevant, uh... I mean, when a universe might interest or concern you." The audience gave Alaric looks for that comment about being 'relevant'. What was that supposed to mean? On the other hand, they were intrigued by his mention of sending people back to their universes.

The Keeper walked over to San, Zwei's Shiba Inu alternate, sprinkled what looked like grains of white sand onto the dog's head. Moments later, San slowly began to fade away right then and there. The dog looked up at the Keeper, and barked a couple times. Alaric leaned forward, and scratched the top of San's head before the Shiba Inu disappeared entirely.

"That is how you'll send us home?" Ozpin questioned Alaric as he watched San disappear. Meanwhile, the Keeper looked towards Port, Oobleck, and Chibi Ruby and said.

"Yep. Now, Professor Port, Doctor Oobleck, Chibi Ruby, you next."

"Awww, but I wanna stay and see more!" Chibi Ruby whined.

"Why did you choose us anyway?" Port asked Alaric.

"Well, um... I'm sending you back to your universes. Whether you want to or not," the Keeper responded, refusing to elaborate on the reasons behind his choices. After a small bit of back and forth that barely went anywhere because of Alaric's refusal to explain himself, the audience finally accepted Alaric's declaration, and the three that would be sent back to their home universes said their goodbyes to the rest of the audience.

Once the two professors and Chibi Ruby were done saying their farewells to the others, Alaric sprinkled to white sand onto their heads, and the three faded away. As they disappeared, Alaric pointed his a finger towards a nearby wall, a door forming in the area of the wall he had pointed at.

"Now, Jeanne, walk into the room please. Don't worry, nothing horrible waits for you inside. Especially not something related to fire," Alaric whispered that last part to himself. People looked questioningly at Alaric when he did so, but continued on with what they were doing, having gotten used to the idea that Alaric was omitting things from them.

Jeanne walked up to the doof and opened it, finding a simple, four-walled reception-like room with four couches inside. A potted plant rested in the corner. There was a portrait of a fiery bird hung above one of the couches, and another portrait of a deer in a temperate forest. In the corner was a suit of steel armour that was a mix of lamellar and plate, the cloth underneath was purple and black.

"Will there be something for me to do, while I wait in here?" Jeanne asked Alaric. The Keeper shook his head, and replied.

"Eh, no. Just take a seat, and the moment you do, you shall fall asleep. I'll wake you up when I feel like I need you to come join us again."

"Oh, very well then." Jeanne said her temporary farewells to the other audience members, and sat on one of the couches. The moment she sat on it, her eyes shut, and fell asleep in a second. Satisfied, Alaric closed the door to the waiting room, and sat on his chair, he turned to his guests and said to them.

"Right, this universe, like I mentioned before, is one you watched before. Well, most of you watched before," the Keeper said, still giving the audience no clues as to which universe he was referring to.

"Which one?" Ruby asked.

"Just watch," Alaric smirked from behind his mask as he took out his remote and pressed a button.

 **The TV screen brightened, and a** **drawing of a solar system of eight planets and one star faded into view. A familiar drawing of a white spherical object that was the Traveller, or 'giant golfball' as Roman had initially called it, appeared at the centre of the screen.**

 **"I was born the moment the Traveler died," a familiar voice said. Much of the audience recognised it to be Pennydroid, the Ghost.**

"Yaay! Pennydroid!" Ruby, Nora, and Penny cheered upon hearing the voice.

"Pardon?" Salem, the two older Belladonnas, and Raven, asked. Confused as to the name the three girls had given the current narrator. It was obvious they recognised who it was that was speaking, but, the four of them did not.

After a quick summary and explanation of the previous events the audience had seen involving this universe courtesy of the three girls, and including plenty of corrections from the rest of the audience. The four audience members who had not been there to see the first viewing of this universe went back to watching the TV. Possessing a picture of what this universe was about, and just what they could expect from it.

 **"As everything collapsed around us. Before that day, there had never been a Ghost. There had never been a Guardian," Pennydroid continued speaking.** **The Traveler was shown travelling through the void of space, until finally, he came to rest above a planet of blue oceans, landmasses of varying biomes, and white clouds.** **"I don't know much about the Traveler. But I know it made me to bring you back. And I spent a really, really long time searching for you."**

 **"The Cosmodrome? Not the first place I looked." Drawings of tiny white objects with white trails surrounded the Traveller, journeying far and wide across the planet. One in particular went to the centre of the drawing of the planet.** **"As I saw the other Ghosts find their Guardians, and the centuries went by, I wondered if I'd ever find you. And then... I did. And we've been through more than I could have ever dreamed of."**

"Oooh. Please tell us, other version of me!" Penny excitedly pleaded to the TV screen.

 **"We destroyed the Heart of the Black Garden." The surrounding stars lit up to form the image of a pulsating mass of a liquid like substance that vague resembled the shape of a heart.**

 **"We bested the Vault of Glass." The stars dimmed and lit up again to now form the image of an unfamiliar giant alien robot with a cyclopean eye, and seemingly made of glass.**

 **"We killed a Hive God." Dimming and brightening again, the stars now formed a giant alien creature, again unfamiliar to the audience, encased in spectral armour and wielding a giant cleaver-like sword.**

 **"And we hunted down the House of Wolves." One final time, the image of the stars changed to large Fallen, that one the audience could recognise, in far more regalia than they had seen before, and wielding a giant weapon that they guessed to be a missile launcher.** **"After going through all that, I knew I made the right choice."**

"That was nice!" Penny smiled at hearing all the things that her counterpart in this universe, and her Guardian, had been through and overcome. Though, she hoped the Guardian had a name now. The others in the audience admitted that, though they did not know the precise nature of most of the tings Pennydroid had mentioned, it sounded impressive.

The feats apparently performed by the Guardian and Pennydroid were rendered even more impressive when Alaric added something that shocked the audience.

"All that in a year."

"What?!" The audience said, shocked that one person and their ghost could have done all that.

"Yeah. The Guardian, with some help, hunted down almost the entirety of the upper echelons of a Fallen House, killed two god-like entities, and defeated a robot capable of controlling time! Crazy right?" The Keeper went on to say. Right, the Guardian and Pennydroid had gone far, and had grown from the lone Guardian who struggled to kill a single Fallen Captain.

 **The draws of the blue planet and the stars faded, and the camera panned down to a view of from above the rings that surrounded a yellow gas giant. Eleven rectangular hexahedron shaped ships, escorting an immense rectangular space vessel that dwarfed them, and the multitude of rocks that made up the rings. Two large dishs built into both sides of the massive ship's struture.**

"What the heck is that?" Emerald said with a raised brow. The audience had gotten the idea early on in their stay here that other universes were capable of, and possessed things they had never dreamed of. But that spaceship was something else, it looked like it was huge. Like really, really huge.

"It's called the 'Dreadnaught'. It's very big. An approximately 3444 to 3500 kilometres (2140 to 2174.8 miles) long space ship," Alaric explained.

The audience were astounded by the mention of how large the Dreadnaught was. They could barely comprehend the amount of resources it must have taken to construct it, and propel it through space. But again, Alaric found a way to shock them even more than the mention of the Dreadnaught's size.

"Just so you lot know, the Dreadnaught was made from part of the body of giant Worm that served the Darkness. That part of the body was converted into the spaceship you see now."

"How?" Weiss questioned him, finding it hard to imagine that a creature of flesh, sinew and bone could have possibly been turned into that gigantic behemoth of a vessel that was capable of spaceflight. It was even harder for her to imagine the size of the creature that the Dreadnaught had been made of. What kind of beast was it?

"Wait, who had the creature's body turned into a space ship?" Ren asked, his question causing a few others in the audience to look to the Keeper for answers. Alaric did not respond, and put a finger in front of the part of his mask where his mouth was behind in a shushing manner. The audience should have really seen that lack of response coming, and were honestly getting used to it.

He was either going to keep the identity of who it was to himself, or reveal it in some surprising manner. There was even the chance that it was an alternate version, or versions, of any of them that had done it.

 **"I remember everything about the day I was born."**

"Kahn?" Ghira muttered, the person that just spoke sounded rather like the current High Leader of the White Fang. But there was something to her voice. A reserved tone laced with a regal dignity and aloofness _was_ the best way he, and a few others, could describe how the woman, who Ghira wholeheartedly believed to be Sienna, sounded like.

"Yeah. Kahn in this universe is... an interesting individual," Alaric spoke as he scratched the top of Zwei's head. The corgi having taken a sitting position beside his chair.

 **Six starships, designed like the large Fallen starship the audience saw in the first viewing of this universe, entered the TV screen and teadily approached the first fleet from beneath the rings. Flights of smaller starships accompanying the larger vessels.**

 **"I still bear the scars," Sienna continued to speak.**

 **The camera zoomed in on one starship in particular. It cut into an internal view of the cockpit, revealing the pilot to be a pale blue-skinned man with dark-red hair, and blue eyes that had a noticeable glow to them. He wore a dark-blue form-fitting outfit with a dull brownish-grey chestplate, and a dark-blue cape.**

Though the man's appearance was different to their universe's version of him, the audience recognised him to be Adam Taurus, despite the lack of his bull horns and iconic mask. To Blake, it felt odd to see him without his mask, and especially without his left eye being scarred as it was in their home universe.

"This douchebag?" Yang suddenly groaned in annoyance upon laying eyes on Adam.

"Yang!" Taiyang and Ruby berated Yang for her use of a swear word.

"Ugh, sorry dad. Sorry Ruby," Yang grumbled. She looked at the Adam onscreen with a frown as she explained herself. "It's just... whenever I look at this guy, I feel a strong urge to punch him in his stupid face. Punch him really, really hard."

Alaric, knowing how Yang and Adam's first meetings across several Multiverses often turn out, smirked behind his mask. Yeah, he understood why Yang would fell that way towards the bull faunus.

"Are we forgetting the fact that Taurus has blue skin, and his eyes are glowing for some reason?" Roman remarked. In his opinion, Adam looked stupider than he already did. He had met the leader of the White Fang cell of Vale a couple times, and all those encounters left a bad taste in his mouth. If he was not being paid so well, he would have refused to even look at Taurus, let alone work with him and his desperate band of animals.

"What's up with that anyway?" Mercury asked Alaric.

"This Adam is an Awoken." The audience carefully listened to Alaric as he began to explain what Adam was. "Who are the Awoken? Humans who, while on an exploratory mission, got caught between the battle between the Traveller and the Darkness. They declared neutrality, some stuff happened, and viola, they became the Awoken. Blue-skinned and with shiny eyes. A balance between Light and Dark."

The audience accepted Alaric's explanation, and continued to watch the events on the TV screen. Some guessed that there was something else about the Awoken, but left it be.

 **"The Awoken are my family now. And I am their Queen."**

"'Queen'?" Ghira and Blake asked, that was a surprise.

"Yes. Sienna in this universe is Queen of the Awoken. Adam is also the Prince of the Awoken in this universe, him being Sienna's younger cousin in this universe." Alaric explained, surprising the audience even more at the idea that Adam and Sienna were not just related, but royalty. Plenty were not sure about how they felt about that last part.

 **Battled was joined, and the small starfighters of the Awoken rushed at the fleet of rectangular space vessels. In moments, the rings of the gas giant were filled with explosions, and the debris of destroyed spaceships.**

 **The Awoken starfighters, or Galliots, were fast and nimble craft. Weaving through the rocks of the gas giant's rings, evading the defensive fire of the enemy vessels, and outrunning the enemy's own smaller space craft, which quickly retreated from the Awoken onslaught. Though they were smaller than the enemy's larger warships, entire wings of the Galliots were able to overwhelm the defenses of the warships and inflicted crippling damage to a few.**

 **However, their efforts were not without cost. A dozen Awoken fighters were destroyed in the opening seconds, their wrecks joining the enemy's and the rocks of the rings. And they had yet to do any damage to the Dreadnaught.**

 **Cutting back to a view from inside Adam's Galliot, he swiftly approached the Dreadnaught, accompanied by two other Awoken craft. The sounds of his ship's making quick onboard calculations filled the cockpit, followed by a rapid beeping sounded indicated that he was preparing to fire missiles or some other weapon on the Dreadnaught.**

 **With one final long beep, Adam pressed a button at he top of his starfighter's control stick. Together, Adam and his two wingmen fired three missiles from their starfighters at the Dreadnaught. The missiles lanced towards a section of the Dreadnaught's exterior hull and detonated upon impact.**

 **Adam and his wingmen flew over the impact area of their missiles as they retreated away from the Dreadnaught, the Awoken Prince turning his head to survey the damage. But there was nothing. No damage at all. Their missiles, which had struck in close proximity to each other had not dented the exterior of the Dreadnaught. Adam's face fell when he saw the lack of damage that he and even the rest of the Awoken fleet were inflicting on the Dreadnaught, his eyes were filled with both dismay and uncertainty.**

"Whooo! Space battle!" Nora cheered. Whenever she and Ren could afford to go, she loved watching movie space battles in the cinema. Now, as part of Team JNPR, she and her teammates would watch a movie every once in a while together, some of the with crazy space battles like the one they were watching right now. She often liked to make her team watch action films, Ren would often choose martial arts movies, Jaune would have them watch superhero movies, while Pyrrha made them watch romance films.

Others in the audience were not only amazed by the battle taking place onscreen, but the sheer number of vessels taking part in it, and how they were space capable. Another demonstration of spaceflight, if only Remnant had a reliable means of it.

Young Salem, who had not seen such a thing before, looked on in unbelief. The world beyond her world was still one of great mystery, and legends told that the gods came from above. Mortal men and women could cross the boundary between their world and the sky above?

"Doesn't look like they did any damage to the Dreadnaught," Ironwood commented upon seeing how little of an effect the weapons of the Awoken had on the gargantuan space vessel. Internally, he reeled at the idea of what both fleets could do the Altesian navy, and was already thinking up ideas of how to replicate the technology he was witnessing to Atlas' armed forces. Primarily for its use against the Grimm, but also, gods forbid, for use in war against the other Kingdoms, if the need arose that is.

"They'll need something stronger to harm it. What about the Awoken's larger ships? Could they do something?" Winter mused, adding to her superiors thoughts. The Awoken's larger starships hung back, and had not joined in the main battle. What were they doing?

"Not the ships themselves," Alaric enigmatically spoke, leaving the audience guessing.

 **"We fought to keep our beautiful creation safe."**

 **The view of the camera changed from Adam to one of the Awoken's larger ships, Ketches as they are called. The camera slowly zoomed in on the command deck until it went inside. Standing on a platform in the centre of the command deck, an Awoken woman stood, looking out through the viewport and at the battle that raged in front of her. Her eyes focused solely on the Dreadnaught.**

 **Speaking of the woman, she had black hair, glowinng yellow eyes, and the same tone of pale-blue skin as Adam. She wore a brown sleeveless jacket, with a fur-lined collar, over a purple shirt. Along with that, she wore dark brown pants, with heeled boots.**

 **As the camera drew closer to the woman, three robed women were revealed to be standing behind her.**

"So, this is Sienna Kahn's alternate in this universe?" Raven thought aloud. Like Adam, it was a bit strange to see her with pale blue skin.

 **"And now this beast has come, claiming to be King."**

 **The Queen looks away from the battle, and towards the robed women behind her. Giving them an affirmative nod.**

 **"Sienna Kahn bows to no one."**

"That is certainly something Sienna would say," Ghira murmured to himself with a sigh.

 **Sienna took a step back, before she closed them, Sienna's eyes lit up with the brightness of miniature stars as she outstretched her hands before her. Behind the Awoken Queen, the robed women formed into a semi-circle and outstretched their hands, wisps of bright white and purple energy appearing between their hands.**

"Huh, what are they doing?" Neptune questioned, he and the rest of the audience silently pondering on this mysterious display.

"Some kind of magic?" Salem and Ozpin asked at the same time. The blonde woman curiously looked at the grey haired headmaster when she realised what he had said, Ozpin quickly trying to diffuse her interest by stating that they had seen examples of magic in previous viewings, and he was just making a reasonable assumption.

 **In front of Sienna's ship, a large line of energy, like those between the hands of the robed women, formed. Moments later, seven bright spheres began to form from the line of energy, until the line was gone and only the spheres remained.**

"Um, what are those?" Yang asked Alaric, eyeing the bright spheres with a mix of curiosity and trepidation.

"Harbingers. Semi-sentient superweapons used by the Awoken," Alaric replied to Yang's question, going on to explain a bit further on their nature. Though, not by much. "They aren't weapons that one should consider using in a ally or civilian rich environment, as you're all about to see."

Superweapons? That sounded both intriguing and worrying. Just what were the Harbingers capable of for them to be labelled as superweapons?

 **Mere seconds after the last of the Harbingers formed, all seven rushed forward towards the battle, appearing like luminous comets to all who were watching.**

 **As they swept through the battlefield, hundreds of the rings' rocks, the wreckage of ships, and even a great many of the enemy's smaller spacecraft, were pulled by unseen forces after the Harbingers. Soon, each Harbinger was pulling a large cluster of rocks and enemy vessels behind them as they neared main body of the enemy fleet. The Awoken Galliots veered away from the Harbingers' paths and the enemy fleet, none of the Awoken were caught in the Harbingers' invisible clutches.**

 **A quick cut back to the bridge of Sienna's flagship, showed the Awoken Queen falling backwards. The robed women catching her before she hit the floor, and anxiously crowded around her.**

 **Back to the enemy fleet, the Harbingers had done much and tore their way through several of the warships, the rocks pulled behind them smashing through the exterior hulls of the warships with ease. Their shattered remains joining the hundreds of rocks and wrecks being pulled behind the Harbingers as they rapidly advanced towards the Dreadnaught.**

 **Together, as one, the Harbingers slammed into the side of the Dreadnaught, the rocks and battlefield detritus they had brought with them doing the saw. However, like the previous attacks performed by the Awoken, it did nothing.**

 **The rocks and enemy ships flung at the immense spaceship harmlessly impacting against the Dreadnaught's chitin hull. The Harbingers, shining brighter than Remnant's own star for several seconds, guttered out like candles and quickly disappeared. Further revealing the lack of damage the attack had done to the vessel.**

"Well... shit," Qrow cursed.

"All that and they did nothing to it?" Cinder muttered, in slight awe of the destructive potential of the Harbingers, and the resilience of the Dreadnaught.

"What would it take to destroy that thing?" Fox rhetorically questioned, but Alaric went ahead to answer him.

"Well, you could get to the Dreadnaught's main power generator, plant explosives, and blow the Dreadnaught to hell. Though you'd also be destroying half of the Solar System in the resulting explosion."

Taking a moment to trying imagine the sight of half a solar system being destroyed by one massive explosion, the audience did not need to be told or think on the idea for too long, to come to the conclusion that was a bad idea. The specific way of how to destroy the Dreadnaught, and its resulting effects, the Keeper had described to them gave the audience the impression that such a thing had happened in a few universes.

"Who's flying those ships?" Glynda wondered aloud, the same question going through the minds of the other audience members. "And what are they doing there?"

 **The camera cut to Sienna, who, having just recovered her strength, looked on the Dreadnaught and the devastation surrounding it in disbelief. The intense glow of her eyes returning to the calmer glow they possessed before the Harbingers appeared.**

 **"You and I know how this ends," Sienna continued to say. She was apparently addressing someone, though she was not visibly talking to anyone present.**

 **The screen changed view and was now focused on the Dreadnaught's dish facing the Awoken fleet. Then, from an open balcony on the Dreadnaught, a winged figure, standing at 3.9 metres (13 feet), stood looking on as the battle continued on. They were incased head-to-toe in armour made of dark brown bone-like chitin, with flowing dark red robes, the skin underneath it all was corpse-white, and his body skeletal. The figure possessed three digits on each hand, three emerald green eyes glowed in the dark, and two long protrusions jutted forth from the sides of his helm. His wings were vast, increasing his already imposing figure. In one of his hands rested an immense, cleaver-like sword of incredible age.**

"Who the hell is that? What the hell is that?" Yang said the moment she laid eyes on the winged, sword-wielding giant.

"Oryx, the Taken King. God-King of the Hive, servants of the Darkness who seek to live forever by becoming synonymous with death itself, through the act of killing. He's been pursuing the Traveller, and exterminating entire species for millions, perhaps billions, of years." Alaric told the audience. "He's in the Solar System because a certain Guardian killed his son several months ago."

Alaric gave the audience a moment to process that chunk of information. They had seen and heard of examples of attempts to attain immortality here, and in the legends and fairy tales back in their home universe. But the method of the Hive was not one they had ever heard or thought of before. Then, they started to connect something that Pennydroid said in the start of this viewing, particularly how the Guardian had killed a Hive God, and what Alaric had said about Oryx's son being killed. Quickly coming to a realisation, Weiss spoke up.

"Uh... wait. Killed his son? God-King of the Hive? Are you saying the Guardian killed _his_ son?!"

"Yep," the Keeper replied. "Crazy how consequences work, right? One day, you kill a Hive Prince for a creepy lady. The next, his angry father comes by to take your head."

"Why's he called the 'Taken King'?" Velvet asked.

"Well, Oryx, then Auryx, through a series of events too long for me to fully explain, communed with the Darkness itself. After their communion, the Darkness gave him to... Take his opponents." Seeing his audience's confusion, Alaric went on to say to them. "Don't bother asking, you'll soon see what Taking is."

The audience took him up on his word, and continued to watch, waiting for when they would this this 'Taking' that Alaric spoke of.

 _'What was that about a creepy lady?'_ Tai, and a few others, thought to himself. He shrugged and let it be.

 **Oryx stepped onto a circular platform, aglow with strange green light, took his sword in both hands and rose it above his head. It's tip pointed at the platform.**

"This is gonna be bad," Sun uneasily remarked, dreading what would come next.

 **"We've known since you've escaped from that... pit."**

"Who is she talking to?" Oscar wondered. Sienna was talking to someone, but who?

 **Oryx slammed his sword down onto the podium, a shockwave spreading through the balcony from the platform, followed by pale blue-white fog-like tendrils. Energy, the same colour as the fog-like tendrils from the platform, ran along the rim of the Dreadnaught's dishs, steadily pooling together at the dishes' centre as if charging up for something. The moment the energy formed a complete circle along the rim of the dishes, they unleashed a shockwave that decimated every around it.**

 **From the surrounding asteroids, Awoken Galliots, to even the Hive's own ships. Nothing was safe from the shockwave's annihilating power.**

"Is that-?" Blake started to say, but was interrupted by Alaric, the Keeper shaking his head as he said to her.

"Not Taking, but it's one hell of a weapon. As you can see right now."

 **The shockwave neared Sienna's Ketch, and as it drew closer, the camera changed to a close-up of the Awoken Queen's face. There was sadness etched on Sienna's face as she watched the shockwave approach her, but she did not panic, she simply closed her eyes in apparent acceptance of her doom. Seconds later, her, and the other Ketches of the Awoken fleet, were destroyed by Dreadnaught's shockwave.**

 **To another part of the fleet, dozens of Galliots tried to turn about and flee from the shockwave, as the rest of their fleet was being destroyed. Sadly, many were caught and were instantaneously disintegrated, one of the fleeing Galliots belonging to Adam. Cutting to the inside of Adam's Galliot, the audience saw that his ship was violently shaking, the explosive deaths of his fellow pilots could be heard over his ships radio, Adam's face a grimace as he tried to get away from the shockwave.**

 **His ship shaking more violently than before, and the end seemingly about upon him, Adam let out a scream before the TV screen turned to black.**

"That went to hell very quickly," Roman remarked. The others in the audience agreed with the notorious criminal. Again, not exactly something the audience thought they would ever do, but hey, that was not the wierdest thing ever.

 **"The Awoken have played their part," Sienna's voice now said as the TV screen brightened.**

 **The audience were treated with the sight of the shockwave's aftermath. The Dreadnaught was surrounded by the wrecks of hundreds of Awoken and Hive ships. From his balcony Oryx surveyed the destruction he and his warship had caused, taking in the pyrrhic victory he had won. The Taken King let out a low growl and turned away from it all.**

 **"This... was all part of the plan."**

"What plan?" Ozpin questioned.

"Oryx and his fleet would have absolutely destroyed the Last City of Earth. With his fleet destroyed, and a good deal of his ground forces with them, Oryx will have to wait for reinforcements." Alaric explained, the audience starting to see where he was going with it. "That gives the Last City ample time to act on the threat Oryx poses, maybe enough to kill him."

"So, Sienna sacrificed herself to give the City time?" Kali surmised.

"There's more to it than that," the Keeper said with a shake of his head. "The Queen of the Reef Awoken rarely does anything that did not ensure she got something out of the situation, but, you don't need to know about that right now. Keep watching."

 **The camera panned away from the Dreadnaught until it showed just how large the radius of the shockwave was. A massive hole in the gas giant's rings, thousands upon thousands of kilometres wide, had been created by the Dreadnaught's shockwave attack.**

 **"Guide them, my Hidden friend. It is all up to you now." With those final words from the now, presumably, deceased Queen Sienna Kahn, the screen faded to black.**

Sienna's words were ominous, and the audience wondered what the full meaning behind them was. There was a plan, a plan that involved the Queen's self-sacrifice and was intended to result in Oryx's death, but the identity of the person that Sienna conspired with, and their further aims, were unknown to them.

"'Hidden friend'. Who could that be?" Winter wondered, the others in the audience shrugged in response, while Alaric proved less than forthcoming with the answer to that question.

 **The screen brightened once more, this time to the sight of three jumpships speeding through space and towards one of two massive asteroids orbiting around a planet that the audience recognised to be Mars. That was not the only thing they recognised, for one the ships was the same Arcadia-Class Jumpship the Guardian had used to escape the Cosmodrome and fly to the last City, though, it was in much better shape than it was back then.**

 **As the ships flew down to the asteroid's surface, and nimbly navigated their way through canyons and cliffs, a voice spoke through their comms.**

 _ **"Guardians, this is Commander Ironwood. The Cabal base on Phobos is blasting a signal on all channels. If they're willing to break transmission silence, this could be a prelude to a full scale assault."**_

"I am a commander in this universe?" Ironwood muttered. He was starting to see a pattern where he appeared to be in positions of command or power in the Multiverse, especially when it came to organisations with a measure of militarism.

"Yeah, you're a Guardian. In fact, you're a member of the Vanguard, a triumvirate of the most powerful Guardians who are elevated to the leadership of their respective classes. You are the leader of the Titans. Congratulations!" Alaric informed Ironwood and the audience, clapping his hands together, though, no one joined him.

"Hmmm, very well then." Ironwood nodded, accepting his counterpart's position. Alaric looked towards Glynda and Qrow, pointed at the professor and ex-professor, and said to the two.

"Ms Goodwitch, you are the Vanguard of the Warlocks. Qrow, you are Vanguard of the Hunters."

Goodwitch, like Ironwood, accepted her counterpart's position as leader of the Warlocks.

"So I gotta work with Jimmy and Goodwitch?" Qrow grumbled, but was surprised by Alaric's response.

"Worse."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"A Hunter works better in the wilds, but you're stuck in the Tower. You're also not _the_ greatest existing hunter. You are an exceptionally skilled Hunter, one of the best, but you got the position of Hunter Vanguard because of a dare from a dear friend." Alaric said. "Still, you're a great guy. You're just in a position that yoh are not too fond of being stuck in."

Qrow went on to grumble about something under his breath, while Raven posed her own question to the Keeper.

"Who are the Cabal?"

"Think 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall space turtles or rhinos that control a highly militaristic expansionist empire. And when I say highly militaristic, I mean highly militaristic," Alaric said with an amused snort.

 **The ships exit the canyons and flew over an open plain, steadily getting closer to the ground as they searched for a landing zone. As they were doing so, they flew over three large Cabal Tanks, one was a burning wreck while the two others were still and appeared empty.**

 **"We're setting down on Phobos now," Pennydroid informed Ironwood.**

 _ **"I'll be monitoring your feed through your Ghosts. Good luck to you all,"**_ **Ironwood said to them.**

 **The Guardians' ships slowed until they were hovering over a cliff, a second later, three Guardians materialised on top of the cliff.**

 **One wore a hooded midnight-blue cloak with a white stylised wolf's head at the centre, a gas mask-like helmet with a metallic silver visor over their head, a dull grey chestplate over a form-fitting grey outfit, with brown knee-high boots. In their right hand they carried a black and silver hand cannon designed like a revolver, with engravings of feathers along the barrel. Pennydroid appearing above his shoulder a moment later, he was obviously the Guardian.**

 **To his left was a muscular woman wearing considerably more armour than either of her companions. Wearing thick white and pink armour over her chest, shoulders, forearms, legs, and a helmet over her head. At her right hip was a pink piece of cloth that had a symbol of a hammer and a lightning bolt crossed together on it. In her hands was an auto rifle. And Ghost with a green shell with an additional splash of pink appearing next to her head.**

 **The last of three was a slender woman wearing a pale blue longcoat, a white outfit underneath, and a white helmet with an avian design and a metallic silver visor. At her left arm she wore a band projecting a small hologram of a white snowflake. Beside her, a Ghost with a blue shell and an eye that fluctuated between seven different colours every so often. Held in her left hand was a semi-automatic scout rifle.**

 **(For brevity's sake, imagine the armour they're wearing to be the ones the fireteam of Guardians wore at the Taken King: Evil's Most Wanted Live Action Trailer.)**

"Huh, there's the Guardian." Blake remarked.

"I think I known who that one is," Ren said, pointing towards the white and pink armoured Guardian. He also knew who that Guardian's Ghost was.

"Oooh, what is that weapon?! Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme!" Ruby squealed at the sight of the lighg machinegun in the Guardian's hands, her hands reaching out towards the screen and started to aproach thd TV. She was stopped when Yang grabbed hold of her hood and pulled her back onto Team RWBY's couch.

"First, yes, that is Ms Valkyrie. Second, that weapon is called Thunderlord, a powerful and reverred light machinegun from the Last City's past." Alaric then turned to Weiss and said to her. "You Ms Schnee are the Warlock, the one wearing the longcoat."

"Who are our Ghosts?" Weiss proceeded to ask, the Schnee heiress feeling that she knew who ig was. The ever shifting colour of her alternate self's eye giving away his identity to her and Winter.

"I think I mentioned this before, but, Ren is Nora's Ghost. Renbot is your name," Alaric said. "Meanwhile, your Ghost, Ms Schnee, is your delightful butler, Klein."

Weiss smiled at the knowledge that Klein, the family butler and the man that practically raised her, was her Ghost. Nora, meanwhile, was hugging Ren tightly, and saying something about how the two were together in this universe. Not together together, of course, just normal together.

 **"Aaaah, it's great to be back together as a fireteam!" The familiar, but older, voice of Nora Valkyrie came from the Titan. Her voice also sounded like it was coming from a robot. "Is that a new shader Weiss? Looks good on you!"**

 **"Thank you. Coco recommended it for me, I must thank her properly sometime later." The Warlock looked towards the Hunter, and cordially greeted him. "Orion, good to see you again."**

 **"Snow Queen. Heh, haven't seen you since Venus. You been treating yourself right?" the Guardian, or Orion as he was apparently know as, replied to Weiss' greeting. His voice unfamiliar to the audience.**

"'Snow Queen'?" Weiss frowned at this new nickname of hers.

"Why did I sound like I am a robot?" Nora asked, scratching the top of her head.

"That's because you are a robot," Alaric received more than a few raised eyebrows as he said that. "More specifically, an Exo. Robots with the implanted minds of humans from Humanity's Golden Age. Nora-12 is your name in this universe."

Nora thought on this for a moment, after a few seconds she smiled and shrugged. Accepting that this alternate version of her was a robot with ease. Meanwhile, Penny smiled at the information. To her, it was nice to see and hear Ruby's friends also being robots. She also wondered what Exo's looked like.

"The Guardian talks? Good, I didn't really like watching a mute-Ow!" Yang yelled in pain as a spoon was flung at the back of her head. Looking at the culprit, she saw Neo smirk at her, and pulled a sign from out of nowhere.

 _"I preferred it when the Guardian was quiet." W_ as what was written on a sign that Neo held up. There weren't nearly enough strong silent-types in the universes they had watched, and she liked it when those types of characters appeared.

"Can you _not_ give her stuff to throw at us?" Yang said to Alaric, infuriated with the pint-sized criminal and Alaric's choice to not do anything to about her.

"I'm sorry Yang. But, I'm afraid I can't do that," the Keeper replied in a calm, monotonous voice.

 **"Still jealous I got this little thing?" Orion said as he tauntingly waved his hand cannon at Weiss.**

 **"Hmph. C'mon, let's get moving." Weiss grunted, quickly walking ahead of the two others.**

 **"She's so jealous that you got Hawkmoon," Nora-12 said with a chuckle before the two followed after their Warlock companion.**

"Please, why would _I_ be jealous about someone having a gun?" Weiss questioned. The hand cannon was rather marvelous to look at, but she was certain that not even an alternate version of herself would be jealous over a gun, no matter how it looked.

"Well, it does look impressive. And I wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of any bullet fired from it." Ruby spoke up, looking on the weapon with wide eyes.

"You wouldn't," Alaric said. "Three bullets of the eleven fired from Hawkmoon's chamber, by some strange means, inflict greater damage than the other bullets."

 **The trio of Guardians walked along the cliff, their weapons at the ready in case of anything. As the advanced forward, they came a across a few bodies of large, 1.5 metre (5 feet) tall creatures in pressurised dark-brown suits and armour coloured light blue and red.**

 **"Skyburners regiment. Can't say we've encountered them before. No other Guardians are on Phobos last I checked, wonder what did this to them."**

Weiss sighed contently, she really missed Klein and it was nice to hear him again. Even if it was one from another universe.

 **As they spoke, three Cabal ships passed overhead in high speeds. Another Cabal ship rose up the cliffside and faced them, its bright spotlight focused on the Guardians. In response, the Guardians rose their weapons at the ship, but, to theirand the audience's surprise, it flew off to join the several other Cabal ships that were leaving Phobos.**

 **"They didn't shoot at us?" Nora questioned as she lowered her light machine gun.**

 **"They must be in a serious hurry to leave. Usually they take at least three shots at us whenever we're spotted," Orion remarked.**

 **"I feel kinda insulted," Nora huffed. Behind their helmets Weiss and Orion rolled their eyes at their teammate.**

"Ren! Do you think I could tank a shot from one of those ships?" Nora asked her green themed best friend. "Because I think I totally could. Look at me! I'm a walking wall, I-"

"Yes Nora, I think you could. But only two at most," Ren answered. Nora nodded and sat back down, though, she could be heard whispering about how she could survive more than two hits from whatever the Cabal ships could throw at her.

"That young lady is very... excitable and odd, I must say." Salem whispered to Glynda.

"Er, yes... I couldn't agree more," Glynda responded. Despite how they had been in the same room together for gods only knew how long, the Beacon professor, and the rest of Ozpin's Order, found it awkward to interact with the young women.

 **Continuing on in a cautious jog, the three Guardians of a large fortified Cabal base some distance away. Then, a Legionary crawled out of a crevice, his armour rent and leaking a dark oily substance. It let out a weak wail before it fell onto the floor and grew still. Nora-12 walked up to the Legionary and gave it a kick to make sure it was dead. Seeing that it was, the Guardians continued towards the Cabal base.**

 **As they approached the base, the Guardians saw several Legionnaries running from a closed door at the front of the base, and saw them thrown a short distance when the door was blown open by an explosion. None of them got back up.**

 **A Cabal ship rose from a launch pad, leaving** **three Legionnaries, and a Cabal wielding a massive shield behind. In their hands were slug rifles approximately the size of a human torso. They waved at it, as if pleading for it to come back, but quickly gave up a few moments later.**

 **"Ironwood, the Cabal are evacuating with extreme prejudice. They're getting torn up down here," Weiss told the Titan Vanguard, before the three Guardians moved on towards the front of the base.**

Winter looked on the Guardian version of her younger sister wth mild amusement. In a way, she still acted like Weiss, but at the same time, she could not help but feel that the way this other Weiss carried herself like Winter herself. Like an Altesian Specialist.

"So, is it Oryx and the Hive that are wrecking these guys?" Mercury questioned.

"Sort of. Oryx is behind all this, but you'll soon see what did this," Alaric replied.

 **The Cabal had not noticed them yet, so the three Guardians dashed behind a ruined Cabal ship. As they observed what the Cabal at the launchpad were going to do next, Renbot appeared and scanned the wrecked ship. After a couple scans, Ren disappeared and informed the Guardians of his findings.**

 **"Hmmm, standard Cabal procedure when under attack. They destroyed this ship after it crashed. What's odd is the last directive they recieved. I'd say its an evacuation order, but 'evauation' is not in the Cabal's vocabulary. All the bases's ships and personnel were order to focus attacks beyond Martian orbit."**

"Really? No word for evacuate?" Fox remarked, confused as to why they did not possess such a word in their vocabulary.

"Yeah, nor retreat. But, they do have six words for advance. Told you they were highly militaristic," the Keeper responded. The audience were rather perplexed by that information. Cabal society was so militaristic that it influenced their language?

"Why do they have no word for evacuate or retreat, Mr Alaric?" Penny asked.

"Huh. The Cabal are so devoted to victory, that they excluded certain concepts, like evacuate and retreat, from their own language. Cabal soldiers are even exiled from the empire itself, and can only return home if they are victorious." Shock was the response of most of the audience upon hearing that last bit of information. Plenty could understand the desire to win, but this was a tad bit ridiculous.

Being exiled from home was quite the motivator, that much they could admit, but it was still a bit much in the opinions of plenty of the audience.

 _ **"No need to waste ammunition. Ignore the Cabal. Get inside the base and figure out what's going on here. If something is here that can decimate a Cabal base, and if it can endanger the City, we need to know what it is immediately." I**_ **ronwood ordered the Guardians.**

 **The Cabal at the launchpad seemed to be in a heated debate with one another. So, the fireteam took advantage of this and snuck between the wrecks and large crates piled in front of the base, and made their way to the door that had exploded.**

 **As the Guardians entered the front doors blown open by the explosion, a new voice spoken on the comms.**

 _ **"Something has drawn us here. I can feel it,"**_ **The voice was a woman's, one that the audience did not recognise. The woman's voice was almost a whisper, and she sounded as if she were haunted by something.**

 _ **"Guardians, I have asked Maria Calavera to monitor the channel." I**_ **ronwood informed the Guardians, unease and displeasure in his voice as he mentioned the woman's name.**

"Maria Calavera. Maria Calavera," Qrow repeated the name Ironwood's alternate had said. The look on his face told everyone that he was trying to remember something.

"What's up, uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked her often drunk uncle.

"Eh, it's nothing kiddo." Qrow waved off his youngest niece. "Just feels like I know that person's name, but, at the same time I don't know it."

"You know her alright, but not by that name. Hehehehe." Alaric spoke up, proceeding to mischieviously laugh to himself.

"When you laugh you sound like dick!" Qrow frowned at Alaric. Still, his words puzzled the veteran Huntsman. From when and where did he know the name of this woman? A woman whose true name he was apparently not aware of until now. And why did she feel important to him.

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Not in _that_ way, but, in a personal way. Like how an artist is inspired by his muse.

 **The Guardians continued on inside. When they passed through another door, they came across quite the sight. The interior of the base was in ruins, and no lights apart from alarms were on.. The bodies of dead Skyburners were scattered here and there.**

 **"This place is a mess! It's worse than when Shaxx was invited to Ironwood's knitting club," Nora remarked when she laid eyes on the place.**

 **"Keep your mind on the mission, Nora." Weiss rebuked the Titan.**

"Hmmm, must have been quite the fight." Yang remarked once she saw the devastation on the TV screen. "One-sided too, I don't see any bodies other than the space turtles."

"What was that about a knitting club?" Roman spoke up with an amused tone in his voice, flashing a grin at the Altesian General. Neo joining him. "Sounds interesting."

"Yep, a knitting and crocheting course. I've seen some of the club's work, they're pretty good. Especially yours Ironwood, you make lovely sweaters! You want one?" Alaric asked, producing a white and grey striped wool sweater, and presenting it to Ironwood.

Ironwood's face turned red, his eye twitched, and his mouth took an 'o' shape. The man not sure how to react.

A few members of the audience chuckled at Ironwood's flushed and stunned face. Some in the audience, namely Qrow, Roman, and Neo, openly laughed at the Altesian general. Well, Neo laughed as best as a mute can.

It was not every day that you see Ironwood, a man who appeared so stern so much of the time he appeared in public, become as embarrassed as he was right now. Some of the audience even tried to commit the look on Ironwood's face to memory out of pure amusement.

With a sigh, Ironwood looked away from Alaric and the other audience members, and actually accepted the sweater. As he did, Ozpin and Alaric could swear that they saw the edge of Ironwood's lips twitch upwards for a moment as he took the article of clothing. And noted the meticulous care Ironwood used to fold the sweater and placed it on the arm of his chair.

Did Ironwood actually like the sweater? Well, now Ozpin knew what to give his friend next Christmas.

 ** _"I hear... whispers in the dark."_** **Maria muttered through the comms, her words making Orion and Weiss tense.**

 **"Why did Ironwood bring _her_ into this?" Weiss muttered.**

 **"She's useful. If it wasn't for Maria, we might not have killed Crota." Orion defended Maria. "And I might not have gotten a cool title out of that whole affair."**

 **"Yes, yes, _Crota's Bane_." Weiss grunted. "But why her for this mission? Last reports stated that there was no Hive activity on Phobos,"**

 **"Glynda's probably doing some of your wierd Warlock stuff, or turning people into frogs. Qrow's avoiding his duties no doubt," Nora said. "So yeah. Ironwood turned to the creepy lady to help keep her eyes and ears on us."**

 **"Fair enough," Weiss sighed.**

"What's the deal with this Maria, anyway? Why do most people sound like they don't even feel comfortable talking about her?" Neptune questioned, others also wondering at this.

"Well... Maria was once a Hunter that took part in an assassination attempt at Oryx's son, Crota. The Hive God-prince that the Guardian killed," the audience nodded to Alaric. Confirming to him that they were listening. "It, uh, did not end well. Everyone else in the fireteam died, and Maria was trapped in Crota's lair for two years or so. She lost her Ghost, ran out of ammunition, and had to replace her own eyes with those of the Hive's."

"Wait. When you said 'replace her own eyes', do you mean she..." Sun's voice trailed away as he imitated with his hands the actions of gouging the eyes out of an invisible creature's skull, and popping them into his own eyes.

"Add a third eye to the forehead, and yes. That is what she did," the audience recoiled at the answer they received from the Keeper. Alaric gave them no mind and continued to speak. "When she got out of that hellhole and returned to the Tower, people didn't really throw their arms open in welcome. She helped kill Crota, but still, she's not a person who you go to the nearest pub and share a drink with."

The audience could understand the reasoning behind the Last City's unease about Maria. She must have also been affected by the experience in more than just a physical way if the manner in which she spoke was an indicator of anything. She may have already spoken like that, but they doubted it.

 **Proceeding to head even deeper inside the Cabal base, the Guardians found the place to be devoid of life. Turning a corner, the Guardians enountered** **a small white light floating in front of an open door.**

 **As the Guardians approached it, the light made a loud screeching noise and flees down the hallway.**

 _ **"What the hell was that?"**_ **Ironwood questioned from over the comms.**

 _ **"Fingertips, on the surface of my mind."**_ **Maria said, not really answering Ironwood's question. The three Guardians looked towards each other in concern, both of that white light and Maria's words, before walking towards the corner the light had disappeared behind.**

 _ **"Yes... thank you for your input, Maria."**_ **Ironwood muttered, slightly unsettled by Maria's words.**

"Uh, okay. This Maria individual is starting to concern me," Winter said.

"Other me did call her a creepy lady," Nora interjected.

"Uh, what is that?" Oscar cut in. Turning to the TV screen, the audience shared in the farm boy's shock.

 **Upon turning the corner, an eerie sight falls upon the Guardians. Several voids of nothingness appear in parts of the base, seemingly appearing as black holes, or windows into empty space itself. Some even swallow up the bodies of dead Cabal.**

 **"Pennydroid, what is this?" Orion spoke as Pennydroid appeared in his hand and flew over to the mysterious voids. Pennydroid paused for a moment, as if unsure about approaching whatever the things were, but went ahead and proceeded to scan the voids.**

 **Weiss walked ahead a small distance, her helmeted head looking around as if looking for something.**

 **"Do you feel it?" Weiss asked her teammates, but spoke again before they could answer. "The Darkness, it's starting to hang heavy here. It's stifling. Almost to the point of suffocating."**

 **"Then let's try not to get ourselves killed. There's no Ghost resurrections for us if the Darkness is that bad here," Orion responded to Weiss' words. Pennydroid finished her scan of the voids and told them all her findings.**

 **"This membrane is attempting to form a bridge between dimensions, but I think it requires a living host. It's unlike anything we've seen before."**

 **Nodding Pennydroid's analysis of the membrane, the Guardians took care to avoid stepping on the strange phenomena as they proceeded to explore the interior of the base.**

"Interesting," Cinder said. Turning to face Alaric she asked him. "What would happen if a living creature touched them? Does it involve Oryx's ability to 'Take' in some way?"

"Aren't you clever," Alaric said with a snort. "But you'll have to wait a wee bit longer to see just what Taking is."

 **The Guardians reached a staircase made up of ramps wrapped around an elevator shaft. Suddenly an elevator car came crashing down, and slams onto a ledge, getting stuck between the beams. A lone Legionary was inside, it desperately scrambled to escape, jumpjets on its back fully engaged as it tried to escape out a hole in the top of the elevator car. However, debris came falliing down and knocked the elevator car loose, sending the Legionary plummeting to its death.**

 **"Yeesh, almost feel bad for that guy," Nora remarked as she peered down the elevator shaft. The distant sound of the elevator crashing at the bottom of the shaft could be heard as the Guardians moved on.**

"Really building up to something big, eh?" Emerald whispered to herself rather than anyone else in the audience. Regardless, others had heard the green haired thief and agreed with her.

 **As the three Guardians continued walking up the ramps of the staircase, they came across a startling sight. A Cabal soldier, in far more sophisticated armour than the ones worn by the previous Cabal soldiers the audience had seen, trying to pull itself from a white tether holding him in place. Before the Guardians could do anything, the Cabal was sucked into the source of the tether and disappeared into nothingness.**

 **"Okay. I am officially freaked right now," Nora said after a moment of stunned silence.**

 **"What happened to that Centurion?" Weiss whispered in alarm.**

 ** _"Whispers are louder, I will endure."_ Maria continued to cryptically say to herself.**

 **"Not helping Maria," Orion murmured. The Guardians taking slow, cautious steps as they moved on. Their eyes darting to every shadow, sound, and movement that they glimpsed or heard.**

"That's Taking," Alaric declared to the audience. His guests were, like the Guardians onscreen, taken aback by what they had witnessed and were almost as confused as them as well.

"So, Oryx abducts people?" Jaune questioned, taking a moment the rub the back of his neck before posing another question. "That can't be all, is it?"

"Well, an individual that has been Taken is presented to the Darkness and is... perfected." The audience intently listened to Alaric as he explained Taking. Plenty of them had already had misgiving about it when the Keeper mentioned the Darkness, and the word 'perfected'. "Any flaws or weaknesses the Darkness sees in an individual is corrected, turned to strengths. That is, of course, at the cost of any free will that the individual may have possessed. Most of the time anyways."

Taking a moment the audience digested the information, thinking on the implications behind Alaric's words. It was not what they had expected, like so many other things they had seen, and it was both intriguing and terrifying to them. Intriguing for the fact that the process of Taking 'perfected' individuals, however, it was terrifying for their free will would be stripped away from them and the manner of their 'perfection' might not be something they themselves might like.

It was Raven that spoke the question that the others in the audience were also wondering, but dared not say aloud.

"So, what would happen if any of us were Taken?"

"Huh, can't really say for sure. Fallen Captains in this universe jealously guard their positions of power, but are unable to hide the power of their rank, making them priority targets for friend and foe. When they are Taken, they are given the power to blind their enemies." Alaric eventually said after a brief pause. the example he provided was interesting, and gave the audience insight to the kinds of 'perfections' that the Darkness would give to those that were Taken. Surprisingly, the Keeper kept on speaking.

"For you lot, one of the best examples I can think of is you Ms Nikos." Pyrrha, her friends, and several others rose a brow at that. "You are an exceptional warrior, to the point that there are very few people around your age group that can match. If you were Taken, my guess is that your righteousness, your want to properly bond with others, and similar such 'weaknesses' would be stripped from you. That's all hypothetical of course, there's no universe I have seen where any of you have been Taken."

No one said anything. No comment or question passed through anyone's lips after hearing Alaric's hypothetical example of Taking. So being Taken did not exclusively mean those that were Taken received abilities that compensated for their weaknesses, but also emotions and thoughts could be stripped away from them.

Without a word, they turned and kept watching the events onscreen.

 **Another Centurion is seen running for his life futilely before he is snatched up as well.**

 **"Maria? I _really_ , _really_ want to know what is going on here? You know something. Tell us!" Weiss barked at Maria. The woman on the other side of the comms paid Weiss no heed, and went on with her strange ramblings.**

 _ **"They speak a word... a name."**_

"Big confrontation coming up!" Yang grinned. This was like something straight out of a game or movie. The protagonists go through an ominous and seemingly abandoned location, they see things that freak them out and indicate that they are not the only one's there, and then boom! Enemy comes out of nowhere and they get into a fight.

 **Walking into a large, circular room with a high ceiling and two levels of floors, the Guardians more on edge than ever. Their hands gripping their weapons ever more tightly, constantly checking their radars, and ready to act on a moment's notice.**

 **The moment the Guardians passed through the doors, dark fog suddenly began to fill the room, coalesce at the centre of it and formed into a dreadful shape.**

 **"What-?" Orion started, but was interrupted when Maria yelled over the comms, her voice filled with fear.**

 ** _"He... is here!"_**

 **The shape the fog took was Oryx's head, and it stared directly at the Guardians. More specifically at Orion. The Hunter himself felt the intense weight of Oryx's incredibly ancient gaze fall upon him, and could feel nothing but vengeful malice in the Taken King's eyes.**

 **"By the Light," Weiss breathed.**

 **"Light! Give your will to me!" The image of Oryx cried out, his voice filled with rage, and directed it was all directed at the Guardians.**

"I would not want to be in Orion's boots right now," Coco remarked. And those were some nice boots.

 **A black orb, swarming with energy, appeared before the image of Oryx, gradually swelling until it exploded. As the orb exploded, the image of Oryx disappeared, and strange creatures began to fill the room. Some of these creatures were shield wielding Cabal, a slug rifle in their free hands. But their bodies were shadowy, they glowed with an eerie white light, and a glowing white orb was present over its face. Along with them were smaller, lither creatures wearing armour that resembled that of the Cabal's, wielding the same slug rifles that the Cabal did.**

 **But one of the new creatures towered over all others. At the centre of the room, a giant humanoid creature, its body encased in armour like Oryx's. In its hand right hand was strange, alien projectile launcher.**

 **"Take cover!" Weiss yelled to the others. The three Guardians leapt behind some large metal barriers just in time to avoid the initial fire from the creatures.**

"Uh, what are they?" Velvet pointed at the creatures. She and the rest of the audience recognised the shield-bearing Cabal, but did not know the name of this type of soldier, yet they did not recognise what the smaller creatures and the giant were.

"The Cabal with shields were called Phalanxes. Those small ones were Psions, auxiliaries in the Cabal military." Alaric then turned his attention to the giant, that was 3.6 metres (12 feet) tall, and said. "That giant? That's a high ranking Taken Knight, a Knight is an ancient and fully-grown member of the Hive, and are the pinnacle of their warrior caste."

"The Guardians are combat ready. I am sure they can win this fight," Penny confidently said. The robot-girl was sure in her belief that this other version of herself, her Guardian, and the others would pull through this ordeal.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Mercury interjected. The Guardians were outnumbered, and like Orion had said, they wouldn't be able to revive themselves if they were killed.

 **The Taken relentlessly pounded at the Guardians' cover as they advanced towards them. The giant Taken Knight hung back, letting the smaller Taken go forward.**

 **Nora poked her head out of the barrier she hid behind, and instantly retreated back behind cover when three Taken guns fired on her exposed head. One shot grazed her helmet and left a small, black scorch mark on it.**

 **"Tch, that kind of hurt." Nora grunted.**

 **Orion took a step out from behind the barrier he stood behind with Weiss, and fired to shots from his hand cannon at the Taken. A Taken Psions was hit where its heart should be, its body was knocked off its feet, and disappeared as it fell dead on the floor. Another Taken Psion lost its head, and a small vortex that appeared where its head had been, the rest of its body getting sucked into the vortex a second later. Orion's third shot hit one of the Taken Cabal's shield.**

 **The Taken returned fire, and Orion was forced into cover. The Taken Knight did not fire the weapon in its hand, but it reared its head, and jets of fire burst from the centre of the Knight's face like projectiles. The fires streaked through the air, and headed towards Orion, the Hunter narrowly avoiding the Knight's attack.**

"That was close," Sun said.

"So, Taken Knights can shoot flames from out of her faces? Alright then," Ren muttered to himself. It was a curious ability to have, and he wondered whether that was a natural ability Hive Knights have, though he doubted it, or if it was an ability given to them as part of being Taken. That sounded a bit more plausible.

"Yeah, its to help them live by the central tenant of Hive culture. But, you don't need to know the exact specifics right now," Alaric said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

 **"No Knight I've ever seen has done that before. Weiss! You got Light for a Nova Bomb?" Orion asked Weiss, the Warlock also retreating back behind the barrier after firing twice with her scout rifle.**

 **"I got enough. Give me covering fire, alright?" Receiving a nod from Orion and Nora, the three peeked out from cover and started to fire on the Taken, while Weiss looked towards the second level of the room, clenched her fist at it and disappeared.**

"Uh, what did I just do?" Weiss queried, confused as to what it was that she had done. Had she gone invisible?

"Blink. A short teleportation ability," Alaric quickly explained.

"And what was that about a 'Nova Bomb'?" The Schnee heiress asked, it sounded... powerful and destructive. The Keeper did not answer her this time, simply making a shushing gesture before pointing at the TV screen. She, and everyone else, would see in a moment.

 **Weiss reappeared at the room's second level of floors and hid from view behind a large crate that was as wide as she was tall. Seeing a few of the Taken had grouped up together, the Warlock drew power from the Void, and purple energy began to coalesce in her right hand. Feeling the void fill her hand with its power, Weiss stepped out from cover and unleashed it on the Taken.**

 **A condensed ball of Void energy burst out from Weiss' left hand and rocketed towards the Taken. The explosion that followed when the Nova Bomb hit a Taken Phalanx in its arm disintegrated it and several of the surrounding Taken.**

"Hmmm, impressive." Ozpin stated after watching Weiss display of her powers as a Warlock.

"Did you see that Weiss? That was so cool! You were so cool!" Ruby squealed. It was, as she had just said, cool to see her best friend do something so awesome. But inside, she wanted to see herself do something awesome onscreen soon. She could wait, Ruby really wanted to see the cool things other versions of herself did in fights.

"Y-Yes, Ruby. Thank you," Weiss mumbled.

"Like Orion's Golden Gun ability, the trademark ability of the Gunslinger Hunters, that's the super ability of Weiss' favoured Warlock subclass. The Voidwalkers," Alaric said to the audience. That left the audience wondering as to what the other Guardian subclasses could do. What powers of the Light did they wield?

"Ooh, what is mine?" Nora excitedly asked. Orion could summon a fiery gun, and Weiss could shoot a purple explosion out of her hand. If that's what their powers were, she could only dream what the super ability of her alternate self was.

"Striker. Don't worry, you'll see your's in time." Alaric responded to Nora's question.

The hammer wielding girl let out an annoyed groan and crossed her arms. She really wanted to know what remarkable ability her counterpart onscreen was capable of.

 **The explosion from Weiss' Nova Bomb gave Orion and Nora an opening to move to some new cover. Nora ran up to the second level. Throwing a flashbang grenade at the Taken, and unloaded seven shots of lightning infused bullets on a Taken Phalanx and at the giant Taken Knight, before ducking into cover.**

 **Orion, meanwhile, moved to Weiss' position. Two Taken Psions stood in his way. The Hunter promptly killing one with a shot from Hawkmoon, but as he aimed the hand cannon's barrel at the second, it did something unexpected. The single Psion in front of him split into two Psions.**

"Whoa, what?" Emerald exclaimed. Like the Hunter, she and the audience had not seen that coming. This most astonishing of abilities that these Taken Psions apparently possessed the audience assumed, correctly, to have been granted to them by the Darkness.

That it could be a natural ability they were capable of prior to being Taken was highly improbable.

 **Orion paused, too stunned by what he had just seen to shoot, giving the Taken ample opportunity to shoot at him. Their shots struck him in his chest and arm, and one had even torn a whole through his cloak. Quickly recovering, and incensed by the damage done to his cloak, Orion killed thd two Psions with two shots to their heads, and dashed into cover beside Weiss.**

 **"Did you see that?!" Pennydroid spoke.**

 **"Eliminate the Psions first, there's only three-wait, there's now five of them! Best to stop that number going to ten, asap!" Klein urged the Guardians.**

 **Heeding the advice, and understanding the danger the Psions possessed, Weiss and Orion began to gun down the Psions. The Warlock killed three Taken Psions in quick succession, one of them at the opposite the room and trying to outflank Nora. Orion killed the two others, stabbing one of them in the chest with his knife as it jumped up beside him. Nora meanwhile fired at the the Taken Knight, her bullets tearing and electrocuting its dark flesh.**

 **The Taken Knight let out a ferocious roar, and let out another flurry of fire from its face towards Nora. The Titan avoiding the attack and reloading her weapon.**

 **The Guardians killed the last of the Taken, the giant Knight being the only foe that remained in the room. Concentrating their fire and seperating to divide its attention, the three Guardians started to overwhelm the large Taken creature.**

 **That was when several more black orbs appeared throughout the room, they swelled and exploded as the others had before, with even more Taken Phalanxes and Psions appearing to reinforce the Taken Knight. Among them were new creatures, creatures that resembled the Knight, but were smaller and less armoured. Lastly, creatures whose bodies were skeletal and the three digits of their hands were long rending claws.**

The appearance of these new forms of Taken intrigued the audience, the Keeper informing them of their original nature and Taken abilities moments later.

"The skeletal ones were Thralls, they're the lowest and weakest morph of the Hive. As Taken, they now have the ability to teleport short distances. The slightly armoured ones are called Acolytes, the morph Hive take after Thrall, and before becoming Knights and one other morph. As Taken they can put down turrets,"

"Uh, thank you for the information." Salem responded to Alaric.

 **"The he-?!" Was all Orion was able to say when he saw the hulking form of a Taken Phalanx appear beside him. The Hunter tried to turn and shoot at it, but the Phalanx lifted its shield between it and Orion, and, too the Guardian's great surprise, the shield produced a burst of energy that sent Orion flying into the side of a crate.**

"Ouch," Oscar grimaced. That must have hurt, but Orion did not appear to have been seriously injured.

"Taken Phalanxes can push enemies away from them. Hmmm, I can see why the Darkness gave them that ability," Pyrrha thought aloud. Having a shield that could push an enemy back was quite the ability or piece of gear to have, and was something she would not be averse to having. But her current shield worked well enough, so she saw no reason to replace or upgrade it in the near future.

 **Weiss, seeing the trouble Orion was in, ran over to him, ducking a clawed hand from a Taken Thrall that teleported right beside her, and coming to the Hunter's side.**

 **Over by Nora, she emptied he weapon's magazine drum after killing half a dozen Taken Thralls, a Acolyte, and a Phalanx. Finding she had no time to reload, Nora quickly slung the light machinegun onto her back, and a shotgun materialised into her hands thanks to Renbot. Advancing, Nora unloaded shell upon shell into the Taken, and punching any that got too close to her.**

 **Back with Orion and Weiss, the two Guardians were back-to-back, gunning down or meleeing any Taken that entered their sights. Weiss tapped Orion's shoulder, and the two switched places. As they did, Orion summoned the Golden Gun and shot three times, the Solar bullets striking three of the Taken. One of them a Taken Phalanx, and two Taken Psions. The three Taken died in three fiery explosions, while any Taken around them were immolated.**

"He has certainly improved in the use of that ability since we last saw him." Glynda said to herself, admiration in her voice. It seemed Orion had mastered the use of the Golden Gun. He had a year to practise summoning and using it, so he would have learnt how to master its use by now.

 **"Screw this! That giant thing is really pissing me off!" Nora yelled over the comms after being subjected to another fiery attack from the giant Taken Knight.**

 **"Nora, please don't tell me you're gonna do it?" Weiss questioned the Exo Titan she cast a bolt of Void energy at a few Taken Acolytes and Thralls that had grouped together The moment it impacted against the chest of one of the Taken Acolytes, which had just summoned a turret-like orb, the bolt turned into a Vortex that crushed Weiss' foes.**

 **"Not again," Orion sighed. Turning round and throwing his knife at the head of Taken Psion that was about to split itself.**

 **"Please don't Nora," Renbot also said. The audience were now very concerned.**

"Again?" Jaune asked, worried about what it was that Nora-12 planned to do.

He'd seen, as well as personally experienced, several of Nora's crazy antics while in Beacon, and made several guesses as to what Nora-12 was going to do to the Taken Knight. The other two members of JNPR doing the same.

"Uh, what's she gonna do?" Velvet nervously queried.

"Yeah. What am I gonna do?" Nora also asked. Compared to the others, she was positively excited for what was about to happen next. Was this going to be her super ability? Was it going to be super awesome?

"Something very Nora is my guess," Blake muttered.

"You mean reckless? And so crazy that it actually works?" Yang surmised.

"Yeah," Blake confirmed. Nora made to argue against their words, but quickly stopped herself when she, and the rest of the audience, saw what was happening on the TV screen.

 **Nora did a running start, blasting a Taken Psion away with her shotgun as she ran, and jumped into the air towards the giant Taken Knight. Reaching the giant's head, Nora grabbed onto the Taken Knight's head, reared her head back, and slammed the front of her helmet into the Taken's face with a loud crack.**

"Yeah! Go me!" Nora cheered her alternate self on. Meanwhile, the others in the audience were stunned by the sheer audacity of the act. An exception to this was, not surprisingly, Ren, the boy calmly looked on, unphased by Nora-12's decision to headbutt such a large foe.

 **The force of the Titan's headbutt snapped the Taken Knight's head backwards and fell onto one knee. Nora landed in front of it and delivered a lightning filled punch to its chest, knocking the Taken backwards, its back crashing into a wall. Nora-12 was not done yet, and, to the surprise of the audience, went ahead to headbutt the Taken Knight again. And again, and again, and again.**

"Uh, I think this other you's taking this headbutting thing a bit too far," Fox spoke up. Honestly, he was questioning how the Titan was still bashing her helmeted forehead against the Taken Knight's skull.

"What are you talking about? This is awesome!" Nora shouted at the top of her lungs when she said that last part.

"It is... an impressive display of strength and endurance." Ozpin admitted, several members of the audience looked at ghe beacon in shock. Was he approving Nora-12's behaviour? "But, I would suggest that you do not attempt to imitate this version of you, Miss Valkyrie."

Nora's shoulders slumped at Ozpin's words. She had honestly wanted to copy her counterpart onscreen, but, if the Headmaster said no, she supposed she had no choice but to do as he said. That is, while Ozpin and anyone that would tell on her were keeping an eye on her.

The ginger-haired girl would definitely try it while there was no one else around.

 **After the sixth headbutt, the Taken Knight's body dissolved. The creature finally dying from Nora's repeated application of the age old practise of smashing an enemy's head in with a blunt object, that object being Nora's helmeted head.**

 **Looking up from her kill, Nora saw Orion and Weiss looking at her. The two having succeeded in killing the rest of the Taken while she was headbutting the Taken Knight to death.**

 **"Seriously?" Orion said, Nora-12 only shrugging at him in response.**

"And she has done that before?" Oscar asked the Keeper.

"Yeah. Uh, don't ask me how many times," Alaric slowly responded. A quick look in the Keeper's eyes told them all that they needed to know.

Nora-12 had headbutted so many enemies to death, that Alaric had stopped bothering to count how many times she had do so. Had it become a habit for the Titan? A few members of the audience sent concerned looks towards Nora, the girl shrugging back at them in response.

In the end, they decided to not press that little issue, and keep watching. Probably the best course of action to take right now.

 **As they stood victorious together, the group's comms came to life again, and Maria's voice spoke to them in her ever vague way.**

 ** _"You have seen_ His _face. It was His hand that transformed the Cabal."_**

 ** _"This mission is scrubbed. Guardian, get to your ship and get out of there!"_ Ironwood urged the trio of Guardians.**

In the audience, Ironwood grimaced when he heard his alternate say those words. He'd stopped counting the number of times he had made similar such orders during the course of his military career a long time ago.

 **Running over to a door at the far side of the room, the door opened was they came near, revealing a Taken Phalanx waiting at the other side. The creature charged towards them, its gun raised and firing at the trio, but the three Guardians quickly gunned it down and moved through the now open door.**

 **Entering the room, the Guardians found that a firefight between the Taken and a few Cabal was in Phalanxes, Psions, and a regular sized Taken Knight were battling Cabal Legionnaries. There were no allies in this fight, for both the Taken and tried to kill the Guardians while also trying to kill each other.**

 **Nora charged forward, shotgun in hand, and started to decimate both Taken and Cabal in close quarters. The Taken Knight charged at her, swinging its gun at her like a club, but Nora sidestepped the attack and shot it point-blank in the face. Destroying the Taken's head, and sending it wailing into the vortex that sucked in every Taken that lost its head.**

 **Meanwhile, Orion had somehow clambered onto a Legionary's shoulders, and plunged his knife into the joint between the Cabal's helmet and shoulders. As the alien creature's body fell to the floor, Orion rode on its shoulders and shot the pressurised helmet off of another Cabal Legionary, the Cabal dying in seconds after being exposed to the unpressurised air of the ruined base.**

 **Weiss slung her scout rifle onto her back and pulled out another weapon. A short weapon, the size of a submachine gun, and when she pulled the trigger, the weapon did not fire any bullets but energy started to charge up along the barrel and towards the muzzle of the gun. A couple seconds later, seven beams of Solar energy lanced forth from the weapon, and disintegrated a Taken Phalanx. Repeating the process to a second Taken Phalanx, and a Psion.**

"Oooh, what is that weapon? I need it!" Ruby screamed, again, grasping at the TV screen and spilling the bowl of strawberries that had been on her lap. This time, it was her father that stopped the red-hooded girl from smacking her face into the TV screen.

"Please calm down, Ruby." Taiyang said, trying to reign in his youngest daughter.

"Fusion rifle," Alaric responded to Ruby's question. The girl was now sat back on Team RWBY's couch, and, to keep her in place, was being hugged by Yang and Penny. Zwei, meanwhile, had decided to plop himself on top of the girl's head. "Directed energy weapon that can fire about seven shots in quick succession."

"So, kind of like my weapon's gun form." Neptune spoke up, seeing the similarity between his weapon and the fusion rifle.

 **Clearing the room of enemies, the Guardians made to leave, but their Ghosts materialised and started to scan some nearby terminals and other objects.**

 **"Klein, we don't have time to do any of that right now. Let's go!"**

 **"Begging your pardon, Weiss. But there's information here that might give us a greater idea of what happened here, and where these things may come from."**

"Reasonable, I guess. Gathering as much information on your enemy while you can, could prove instrumental to victories in the future." Winter thoughtfully remarked, agreeing with the Ghost version of her family's best butler.

"Let's just see if they can get out of there with their lives first." Qrow added, knowing from experience that retrieving a intelligence, or any kind of mission objective, could be much easier to do than it was to get away with it.

 **"I concur," Pennydroid called out to them. She had scanned a small hologram that lay beside a dead Cabal Centurion, the holographic image being displayed was none other than the Dreadnaught. "This matches an image I collected from the World's Grave... a Dreadnaught. They don't exist in our system. I'll mark it for transmat to the Vanguard and hope we get a signal."**

 **Renbot, who had just finished scanning a monitor, spoke up as he flew back to Nora.**

 **"There's a notification from three days ago. A 'Primus Ta'aun' suspended all Phobus mining operations and recon pending investigation of a trans-Jovian threat.** **They also sent teams to investigate anomalous energy fluctuations across the base. None of the units reported back."**

"No need to guess what happened to them," Roman whispered to Neo. The short woman/girl(?) nodding in response to her bowler hat wearing partner-in-crime.

 **Klein scanned a terminal with the image of Phobos displayed on the screen, a couple seconds later he flew back to Weiss and disappeared. Informing the Guardians of his findings with a troubled voice.**

 **"Oh dear. Cabal mining sites across Mars and Phobos have been hit. Losses to Blind Legion: 35% percent. Losses to Sand Eaters, 58%; Dust Giants, 39%. What is this?"**

 **"One thing at a time," Orion interjected.**

"How large are those forces?" Ironwood asked Alaric, the masked man quickly answering her.

"Individually, they're several thousands strong, at least over ten thousand is my guess. And all those losses are being inflicted on them in a matter of minutes."

Okay, now that was really shocking. Several regiments worth of soldiers spread across an asteroid moon and a planet, were being quickly down by Oryx and his Taken in an incredibly rapid rate, and in an alarmingly short amount of time.

 ** _"The base is a loss! We have reports of these things across the system! Go! Get out!"_ Ironwood urged the Guardians onward as they descended down a staircase. The trio went down a couple of hallways until they found a door leading to a balcony, the sounds of a great battle raging on outside.**

 **Hastily making their way outside, the Guardians found that a large battle was indeed taking place. They were overlooking some kind of aerodrome, the sounds and sights of the few remaining Cabal clashing with the Taken could be heard and seen. Ruptures the same colour as the Taken tore the sky apart. A massive rupture opened up in the distance, a smashed a Cabal communication tower with a pillar of energy. Cabal anti aircraft turrets were firing frantically into the sky. A flaming Cabal ship streaked through the sky, and crashed into a building near the Guardian, exploding on impact.**

 **"Uh, how did we not notice all this?" Nora questioned.**

 **The Guardians own ships flies overhead, turning near their position, and hovering over a ledge at a safe distance.**

 **"Our ships are landing across the airfield. Hurry!"**

"That's rather dangerous. Why can't they just pick them up right there?" Weiss questioned the Keeper. The Guardians had quite a way to go, and Weiss was confused as to why they had made such a hazardous decision to keep their ships so far away from them, and keep them in a single place for a long amount of time.

"Reasons," was all that Alaric would say. Shrugging as he did.

 **The Guardians turned and ran across the balcony. Two Taken Phalanxes appeared in front of them, but they were swiftly dispatched by a Nova Bomb from Weiss. Reaching the end of the balcony, the Guardians leapt down to the ground beneath, falling at least 15 metres (49.2 feet).**

 **Instead of splattering all over the floor and turning into three crumpled messes. The Guardians were able to slow their descent, Weiss and Nora by hovering in the air for a moment five metres (16.4 feet) before they landed, while Orion jumped a second time whilst in mid-air.**

"Okay. I'm not gonna ask how they just did that," Emerald mumbled. They had seen weirder, and the audience guessed that this was another ability that the Light wielding Guardians were capable of doing.

 **The Guardians had landed in the middle of a firefight between three Cabal Legionnaries and a few Taken Psions. Their priority being to escape from the base as fast as possible, the Guardians sprinted away from the fight, avoiding enemy gunfire as they did so.**

 **They ran towards a bridge that led to an building. That the centre of the bridge was destroyed was of little concern to the Guardians, as they jumped or hovered over the destroyed section of the bridge. Yet, as they crossed the bridge, two Taken Phalanxes appeared at the other side and raised their shields, preparing to push them back with their new abilities and into the gap.**

 **However, Orion summoned the Golden Gun again, and as the Taken Phalanxes shields charged up to push the Guardians backwards, he fired at them. Killing the two Taken, and allowing the three Guardians to safely enter the building.**

 **Going through the building, the Guardians found another bridge, intact this time, but swarming with at least a dozen Taken.**

 **"We're almost there!" Weiss snarled in anger at the appearance of so many Taken impeding their path. She and Orion had not enough Light to summon a Nova Bomb nor a Golden Gun, but, there was one who had not used their super ability since they arrived on Phobos.**

"Uh. That's a lot of Taken," Oscar remarked upon seeing the number of Taken charging down the bridge towards the three Guardians.

"How are they going to deal with all that? Shoot them all to death?" Mercury snorted, they must surely be running out of ammunition by now, and would probably run out before they killed all the Taken.

"Oooh, I got a good feeling about this." Nora surprisingly squealed, bouncing on her seat on Team JNPR's couch. She did not know why, but she felt that something exciting was about to happen in a couple moments.

 **"Nora!" Orion yelled to the Exo Titan. Nora-12 understood what it was that the Hunter wanted, and quickly acted.**

 **The Titan charged forward, no weapon in her hands, but her entire body now crackled with electricity. Ignoring the shots from the Taken, Nora reached the front of the swarm of Taken, all of them neatly packed together like bowling pins, jumped into the centre of the Taken and slammed her fists into the ground. The moment she did, a massive discharge of electrical Arc energy exploded from her with a crack louder than thunder, the discharge absolutely destroying the Taken in an instant.**

The audience were surprised by Nora-12's unique subclass ability. So, she could store a vast amount of Arc energy inside of herself, and could release it with extremely destructive effects. That much was what the audience could infer from what they had just seen. Honestly, for those who knew her Semblance, some of the members of the audience could see why Nora-12 was a Striker Titan.

She had, essentially, become a living lightning bolt as she used that ability.

"Ren-" Nora began to say to her best friend, but Ren stopped her from continuing on with whatever she was about to say.

"No Nora, I don't think you can do that."

"Okey dokey!" Nora cheerily replied to Ren. She was satisfied for now after seeing that awesome display, it was worth the wait in her eyes, and wanted to see more. And she now had a new idea as to how to use her Semblance. Team JNPR's next outing against the Grimm she intended to make an interesting one.

 **With a clear shot to their ships, t** **he Guardians ran toward them, and warped into their jumpships. Not a moment later, the ships immediately turned around and took off into the star filled sky.**

 **"Ironwood, we made it to our ship, and are heading home."**

 **As the ships disappeared into space, the screen faded to black.**

"That was awesome!" Nora, Sun, and Yang cheered once the screen had completely turned to black. Ruby wanted to join them, but, she was still stuck between Yang and Penny.

"It was indeed most exhilarating to watch," Penny said, voicing her honest opinion of the events they had seen. She also felt a great deal of pride for her alternate self and her Guardian, they had indeed come far, and was happy for the both of them.

"Still don't understand why they didn't enter their ships at that balcony," Weiss said with a shake of her head. The Schnee heiress had enjoyed watching this universe, and admitted to herself that she was being a bit nitpicky about that little detail.

"Oh c'mon, get over it Weiss cream." Yang joked, earning her a few annoyed groans and a frown from Weiss. "We got to see that cool ability Nora had."

"My Nova Bomb was cool too," Weiss huffed, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Is that it?" Ozpin asked Alaric. The Keeper shook his head and pointed a finger at the screen, indicating to the audience that they were not done yet, and that there was still more to see.

 **T** **he screen came to life again, and this time the audience were greeted by** **a hologram of the Dreadnaught on the middle of a lengthy table. Surrounding the table were three people, one was a bald Awoken male wearing silvered Titan armour, a blonde-haired Human woman wearing a purple longcoat, and an Exo with a black chasis, red eyes, and a red cloak. They were in a darkened hall, the only light source being the hologram, and were in the midst of conversation.**

"So, that is us?" Glynda murmured.

"You didn't mention I'm a robot in this universe," Qrow said to Alaric. The Keeper shrugging back at him, and casually replied.

"First; you're an Exo. Second; you didn't ask me if you were, so I didn't tell you."

Qrow rolled his eyes at Alaric. That was a weak excuse, and he'd made several of those in his lifetime. He did not look bad being a Exo, however, he personally did not like the thought of being one because it meant he would not be able to drink.

 **"My contacts near Saturn say the weapon fired only once," Glynda said to her colleagues.**

 **"It's not like the Queen to attack a superior force...** **" Ironwood began, a contemplative look in his voice as he looked on the hologram.**

 **"How could she have known? How can anyone?" Glynda rhetorically replied. The Warlock Vanguard then placed both of her hands on the table, before assertively saying to the two other members of the Vanguard. "We need a Warlock inside the Dreadnaught."**

 **"Here we go," Qrow-6 sighed. It sounded like this kind of conversation had been had before.**

 **"Our first priority must be to protect this City! Our Guardians got a good look on Phobos. Whatever it was, it turned Cabal against Cabal, wiped out their base in minutes. How long would we last?" Ironwood argued against Glynda's suggestion.**

"You do have good points, sir." Winter spoke up in support of her superior's alternate self.

"Yeah, the bad guys are so powerful that we should sit back and let them come to us. Real good points, Ice Queen." Qrow sarcastically grumbled, receiving dirty looks from Winter as he did.

 **"Until we understand what we're dealing with—" Glynda started to say, but was interrupted by an unexpected arrival.**

 **A green blur whips through the room and lands squarely on the Dreadnaught hologram, interrupting its projection. The object was revealed to be an emerald green orb with a stone suspended within. The Vanguard stopped arguing and looked towards the entrance to the hall from where the orb had been thrown at the table.**

 **Standing there was Maria Calavera.**

 **She was a woman wearing a dark blue outfit, wearing a hooded cloak like that of a Hunter, with shoulder guards made of Hive chitin. Her face, the only part of her body that was exposed, had dark skin. She wore a blindfold over her eyes, yet disturbingly, three glowing lights like that of the eyes of the Hive could be seen beneath the fabric of the blindfold.**

"So that's Maria?" Ozpin uttered, like Qrow, he was trying to remember who exactly this woman was.

Despite the headmaster's own efforts, he could not recall her name ever popping up. Maybe she was someone not important? Maybe someone he had never heard or met? Or, she was someone that hid her identity? Either one of those options were a possibility.

"Yeah," was Alaric's simple answer. The audience waited for a few seconds, but the Keeper did not say anything.

"You're still not going to reveal to us who she is in our universe, are you?" Glynda sighed. She already knew his answer, which was confirmed when Alaric made a shushing gesture and chuckled at her. "I shouldn't have asked."

 **"They are Taken," Maria stated to the Vanguard as she prowled towards the three Guardians around the table.**

 **Qrow, not at all phased by Maria's sudden appearance, or maybe he had recovered quicker than his companions had, pointed at the orb and said to her in a dead serious tone.**

 **"Maria... get your rock. Off my map."**

"Hehe, that is so something you'd say Qrow." Taiyang said with a smirk, nudging his brother-in-law with his elbow as he did. Others, including Ruby and Yang, nodded in agreement at Taiyang's words.

 **Maria ignored the Exo Hunter. She had reached the table now, and slowly walked around it, saying.**

 **"It hasn't spoken since Crota fell." Maria lifted up her hand slightly and r** **eached out towards the orb. The orb flickered at the action, while Eris continued to cryptically speak.** **"It speaks now, because Oryx has arrived... come to fill the final covenant of his son."**

"A bit... dramatic, is she?" Cinder remarked.

"You should know," Mercury whispered under his breath. The raven-haired young woman shot him a pointed glare, but Mercury ignored her, it was not like she could do anything to him here.

 **As the creepiest woman the audience had seen so far, walked past Glynda, the blonde-haired woman looked to Maria and, confused by her words, asked Maria.**

 **"But... why fight the Cabal?"**

 **"Not fighting... Taking." Maria stopped where she stood, and answered Glynda without turning her head towards her. "Controlling their will-"**

 **Maria might have said more, but she stopped herself when she, Glynda, and Ironwood noticed that the room glowed with orange light again. Cutting over to Qrow-6, it revealed that the Hunter had taken Maria's orb off of his map and started to play around with it. Much to Maria's chagrin.**

The people who knew Qrow snorted at the events onscreen. Apart from being an Exo, not being cynical every so often, and not drinking, Qrow-6 was almost just like the Qrow sat in the audience with them.

"Just like every single meeting we go to," Taiyang groaned. Remembering every parent-teacher conference he and Qrow attended at Signal.

"Just like every single meeting you attend," Ironwood added. Remembering every single meeting of the Order that Qrow was ever a part of.

Qrow did not say a word in response and just took another drink. This was turning out like every single meeting he had been to in his life.

 **"So we focus on his army... kill these Taken until he's all that's left?" Ironwood suggested. Maria looked like she might have snorted at his words when she turned to face him, and eventually replied.**

 **"Whatever you kill... Oryx will replace."**

"Yes, it wold be hard to defeat someone that can replace his army's numbers by snatching people up, and turning them into his own soldiers." Salem uttered to herself. When she looked around her, the blonde haired woman from the past found it odd that Ozpin, his close associates, and that Cinder girl were sending looks of concern and intrigue.

There was something they were hiding. That they knew about her. Just what she could not place at the present, but, she was determined to find out what they knew and how they knew her.

 **"The Dreadnaught, then. How do we get past that weapon?" Glynda questioned.**

 **"Without ending up like the Awoken?" Ironwood muttered loud enough for everyone else at the table to hear. That was indeed quite the predicament.**

 **The room became silent as Ironwood and Glynda stood there, thinking up a dozen different ways to infiltrate the Dreadnaught, while Maria just stood there, and Qrow still playing with Maria's orb. Qrow-6, noticing the change in the hall's atmosphere, stopped playing with the orb, and looked to the others in the room for the moment. Deciding that he had heard enough, and not really wanting to be cooped up in the hall anymore, Qrow spoke up and made a weak excuse to leave.**

 **"I gotta go, uh... see about a ship."**

 **When he finished speaking, Qrow-6 threw the orb towards Maria. Maria rose a hand and caught the orb, the orb itself hovering a couple centimetres away from the palm of her hand, and sneered at the Hunter Vanguard.**

 **"Qrow! Our discussion is not yet concluded!" Ironwood called out to Qrow-6 as he started to leave the hall, taking a single step forward as if to follow after the Hunter.**

 **"Oh, I know. That's why I'm leaving," Qrow casually responded without looking back.**

 **Qrow-6 left the hall, crossed the Tower's main plaza, and entered the Hanger. Going to a corner, the Hunter Vanguard found a band of Guardians, among them Orion, Nora-12, and Weiss.**

 **Nora-12's robotic head was painted orange, and had bright blue optics. Weiss had the pale-blue skin of the Awoken, glowing ice-blue eyes, and her white hair was in a bun like how Winter currently wore her hair. The audience could not see Orion's face, for his hood was raised over his head in a such a way that it also obscured his facial features.**

 **With them was another Hunter playing with a knife, her outfit coloured black, white, and with splashes of purple here and there. Unlike Orion, the hood of her tattered black cloak was lowered to reveal an Awoken woman with black hair that fell past her shoulders, glowing amber eyes, and the usual pale-blue skin of the Awoken. Beside her was another Awoken, this time a male, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His cloak was white and yellow, his outfit consisting of white and blue, with red gloves.**

 **There were two Titans. One was a male human with short-cut blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing white armour lined with gold, the Titan Mark at his hip yellow, and a two-handed sword on his back. A Ghost with a saphron shell beside him. The other was female human with red shoulder-length hair and green eyes, she wore bronze and red armour, and her red Titan Mark fell past her knees. Her ghost was red with a green eye.**

 **An Exo Warlock in a dark-red long coat leaned his back against a wall, his hands in his pockets. He was painted tan brown, with bright blue eyes. The Ghost that hovered over his shoulder was white and green. Another Warlock, a human woman with brown hair and eyes, in an equally brown long coat. Her Ghost was a light green colour.**

The audience did not need Alaric to spell it out for them to recognise who it was the other Guardians were. The two Hunters were Blake and Sun. The Titans were Jaune and Pyrrha. And the Warlocks were Neptune and Velvet.

"Oh sweet, I'm a Guardian in this universe too?" Sun smiled at the sight of himself, if he could take a guess, he was a Hunter. "What kind of Hunter am I?"

"Gunslinger, like Orion. And a better one to be honest," Alaric answered.

"What about Blake?" Ghira spoke up, he was glad to see his daughter, but sad to know that she must have died somehow to become a Guardian. It was also a bit odd to see her with blue skin.

"Bladedancer. Can infuse Arc light into her knife, real quick with a blade you are." The Keeper produced a knife from his sleeve, an exact copy of the one in Blake's hand. He waved it around before sliding it back into his sleeve, he did not want his guests getting any ideas now.

"So, Pyrrha and I are Guardians? Titans, I'm guessing?" Jaune asked. Pyrrha smiled beside him, glad that they were together as a team in this universe.

"Yep. Arc, you're a Defender, and a damn good one. You can summon a protective, nigh indestructible bubble shield of Void energy. You Pyrrha are a Striker, though, not as proficient with it as Nora-12."

"Hmmm, y'know. I don't look bad being an Exo," Neptune hummed.

"Hey Velvet, you're a Guardian." Coco said to the rabbit faunus, nudging her with her elbow.

"Neptune, you are, like Weiss, a Voidwalker." Alaric then turned to Velvet, and said to her. "While you Velvet, you're a Sunsinger. Filling yourself with Solar light, you increase your abilities several times over, and can resurrect yourself without the aid of your Ghost."

Hearing the abilities they commanded, those members in the audience mentioned above, were impressed with their alternate selves. Really, everyone in the audience were impressed as well. To varying degrees, but still impressed nonetheless.

 **Qrow-6 examined the motley band in front of him. He nodded satisfactorily, clapped his hands together and enthusiatically said to them.**

 **"So. You all ready to go on a high-risk mission that may, or may not, result in your permanent deaths?"**

 **The Guardians looked back at him with uncertain looks on their faces.**

 **"Uh. There'll be a lot of loot in it for you all?" Qrow-6 tried to entice them.**

 **The group of Guardians actually perked up at the mention of the word 'loot', and looked to each other, before looking back to him a couple seconds later. They had all come to a silent agreement with one another. Orion going on to say to the Hunter Vanguard.**

 **"We're listening."**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

Seeing that it was over, the audience started to express their thoughts on this viewing.

"Well, that was a quite the thing."

"That really all you have to say?"

"Yeah, I liked watching that one."

"The Guardian was... impressive, I will admit. Their powers even more so."

"Why did they seem excited about loot?"

"I don't see a problem with that."

 _"I think loot's a good thing."_

Alaric listened to his guests' words, but did not say anything in response. He pulled his remote from out of the folds of his robes, and started to prepare the next universe he planned his guests to see.

* * *

 **And with that, another chapter is done.**

 **Originally, I planned for Winter and Weiss to be Mara and Uldren, respectively. But, then I recalled how much of an ass Uldren was back in Destiny and Destiny 2, so I changed it. Made Sienna and Adam cousins instead of brother and sister. That would work, right?**

 **To those interested, for the next Destiny chapter, do you think I should do the Regicide mission? Maybe the missions where the Guardians get their new subclasses? Or do you want me to go straight to Destiny 2, and do the Homecoming mission?**

 **For the next chapter, I want to make it a short one. Something over 5,000 words but below 10,000. I already got another chapter in the works, and it will probably be over 10,000 words. We'll just have to see.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you, oh reader mine.**


	26. For Honor: I Bring War

**Author's Note:**

 **Here is another chapter of RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse.**

 **Nice to see that people enjoyed the last chapter. Enjoyed writing it, and I have already started writing the next Destiny chapter when this chapter neared completion. Gonna be killing a king next, though, it won't be the King's Fall raid. That, I find, to be a bit too much for me.**

 **I hope that chapter will not be as long as the last one, but I when I look at the things I plan to write... I think it may be far longer. I think.**

 **We'll just have to see.**

 **Oh, and I will say this in response to a request made in the reviews. I will not write chapters based on pornographic material, nor smut fics. Any and all requests for me to write a chapter with such material that are submitted through the reviews or PM, will be ignored, and never once considered for use in any chapter.**

 **Now, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **For Honor - I Bring War**

After that last viewing the audience had left their seats and were either conversing with each other, or eating and drinking. Gotta stay fed and hydrated after all. Alaric, meanwhile, was sat at his chair, pressing the buttons of his remote in seemingly random order.

Those who had been revealed to be Guardians in the last universe they had gone back to, had come together, and were discussing what they had seen and their thoughts on it. Nora, as should be expected, was excitedly talking about how she had "bashed that Taken's head into yesterday", and had mounted Ren on her shoulder in an imitation of how the Ghosts would hover over the Guardians' shoulders. Over course, Ren was not hovering over Nora's shoulder, as much as she wanted him to be, and took the whole thing in stride.

Jaune and Pyrrha were keeping Nora from going to far, but also chuckling at Ren's predicament. Neptune and Sun were arguing over whose subclass ability was better. Weiss was silently thinkin to herself, she admired her alternate self and wanted to see more of that universe. Blake and Velvet were sat next to each other, not really participating much of the discussions, the former out of her usual taciturn nature and the latter because of her own shyness.

Penny had not joined the group, but was expressing to Ruby her pride in her alternate self and the Guardian.

Goodwitch, Ironwood, and Qrow were standing together, and were, like the younger members of the audience, sharing their thoughts on the last universe. Well, more of Qrow was making fun of Ironwood for the whole crotchety and sweater thing.

That all ended when Alaric pressed one last button, and announced to his guests that the next universe was ready.

"There, finished. Next universe is ready, I would advise that you take your seats, please."

Heeding the Keeper's words, the audience went back to their seats, and readied themselves for whatever they were about to be shown. They were getting used to the differences between their universe and others, and the shock value of a few things was lessened somewhat. But still, there was bound to be something that would catch them off guard.

"Now then, Alaric. What is it you wish to show us now?" Ozpin questioned Alaric.

"One that you've seen before," Alaric unexpectedly answered. The audience believing that he, like so many times before, would not give them answer. "The first one you saw actually. Remember? This will help you understand a few things about this universe, if I ever show you more of it."

"Really? Going back to universes you used, again? Running out of ideas of what to show us?" Roman remarked with a smirk.

Alaric did not verbally answer, but simply flipped him off as he pressed the play button.

 **The screen slowly brightened, and the audience were greeted to the sight of a field of wheat. In the distance, a windmill could be seen, and a sun was starting to dip towards the horizon.**

"Huh. A farm," Taiyang quietly said. It was nice to see such a normal sight, but knowing what had happened when they first saw something from this universe, he was certain that things were about to go south real soon.

Meanwhile, Oscar felt emotions of happiness and concern stir in his heart. He'd grown up in a farm, and was, like Taiyang, glad to see such an ordinary sight. He felt concern because, again like Taiyang, he expected things to take a drastic or unexpected turn any second.

"This will be the land called 'Ashfeld'. Home of the Knights and the Legions they belong to," Alaric notified his guests. A small detail in what the Keeper had said caught the attention of a few.

"Will be?" Ruby asked, but the Keeper gave no answer.

 **"There were no signs." An unfamiliar woman's voice suddenly spoke, as the camera panned up to the sight of a castle atop a distant hill. A momentary, and barely audible, low thump sound was heard from the speakers, and birds took flight not a second after the sound was heard.**

"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good." Jaune commented upon hearing the sudden sound. He did not recognise and had no clue as to what it might be, but he had a feeling that it was bad. _Very_ bad.

"What was that?" Coco questioned, a sense of trepidation fell upon her and the rest of the audience like a dark cloud.

"I... _think_ I have an idea," Kali said with a fearful shudder. A couple others shared in her fear. Even Ozpin gulped at the thought of what it might be, the reincarnating man having died more than a couple times when he was caught in the catastrophic and completely unpredictable event that he suspected was going to happen.

Others in the audience focused their thoughts on the voice of the narrator that had just spoke. None in the audience recognise her voice, and wondered who it was. This was the second time in a row where a person's disembodied voice spoke over the events onscreen, the last time it was Sienna Kahn, who was also a queen. Who or what this person was intrigued them.

"Say, who is the lady that's talking?" Yang asked.

"You'll learn who she is later," Alaric replied.

A few in the audience groaned in annoyance when they heard his response. To them, Alaric was starting to get insufferable with all his "I'll tell you all later," or "I know something you don't, but I won't tell you now or ever because it amuses me somehow".

 **"It came without warning."**

 **The ground started to shake violently, then the sound of the very earth cracking and breaking quickly filled the air. An aerial view of the hill and the land around it showed that the ground was heaving, rising and falling like a massive beast hundreds of kilometres across was burrowing its way underneath the surface.**

 **Given a view of the castle's courtyard, the audience saw the medieval stone masonry fall apart, and the paved ground of the courtyard rise and break apart so that increasingly deep fissures were formed.** **Armoured men that had been patrolling the courtyard struggled to stay on their feet as the ground beneath them tremored. One poor soul fell into a fissure and disappeared, while another tried and failed to save him.**

The audience were shocked to say the least, a natural reaction to have when you see such an earthshattering event.

"Holy..." Coco started to say, but quickly trailed off.

"Earthquake?" Ironwood asked no one in particular. He and the rest of the audience were sure of the answer, but were surprised by its force.

"Must be one hell of an earthquake," Qrow grumbled from the side, taking another drink as he did.

 **That, unfortunately, was not all. The earth beneath the castle rose, breaking the hill into several pieces, the castle and a small settlement that it must have guarded still resting on the largest piece of the hill and rose with it. The clouds darkened, lightning started to fill the air, and every bolt that struck the land set trees and houses on fire.**

 **Back to the castle courtyard, water, darkened by mud, was repeatedly vomited out of the courtyard's well. The remaining armoured men let out panicked yells and cries as they watched the castle fall apart around him, and tried to find shelter for the chaos.**

 **The camera zoomed through that massive cliffs that were created from the broken pieces of the hill. Moving so that the camera was below the castle, the camera looked up in time for one of the castle's towers to fall on it, and turned the screen black.**

"Oh gods," Salem breathed. She had never seen such chaos and destruction caused by natural disasters before.

For those audience members from modern Remnant, they were reminded of how the very planet they lived upon could be just as, if not more, devastating to the lands of Humanity and Faunus than the hordes of Grimm.

 **"Doom came to us all."**

 **The screen brightened again, and the audience saw scenes of shocking devastation. The remains of the castle were now atop a cliff that reached tens of metres into the air. The clouds were still grey and dark, trees were burnt and dead, and fires were all over the place.**

 **Changing to a new scene, the sight was no better. Like the lands they had seen before, the audience saw a broken settlement that greatly resembled Mistral to the point that the two could be considered the same locations. Fires raged, and there was no signs of life.**

 **Another scene change, and the audience saw tens of wooden boats litter a now dry seabed. In the far distance, a settlement was split in two by a river of lava.**

The sights displayed on the TV screen disturbed and frightened several of the audience. This was like the sights of the aftermaths of especially destructive natural disasters that most had seen on TV screens back home, or, for a rare few, seen in person. When they realised that these sights were of seemingly different cultural areas, based on the local architecture of the buildings,

"What the heck happened? Did natural disasters happen all over the world or something?" Sun questioned Alaric.

"Why yes actually," Alaric replied, stunning the audience into silence. Seeing their shock, Alaric spoke some more. "Yeah. That was the Cataclysm. A worldwide disaster where earthquakes shook and broke the land, meteors and acid rained from the sky, sea levels rose and retreated, and volcanos erupted with unrivalled force. A number of other disasters happened, but I think you got an idea."

"What could have caused all those disasters to happen?" This time, it was Glynda's turn to ask the Keeper a question. A few theories had already been formulated by the audience, but, they were interested in learning the truth.

"Eh, no need to worry about that. Keep watching," the Keeper waved them off and directed their attention back to the TV screen.

Disappointed that the question was rejected the audience did as Alaric said. As they did, the audience thought to themselves and were thankful that their world had never undergone such a calamitous event, or series of events, in their recorded history. Alaric let out a humourless chuckle when he looked into their minds, well aware of the truth of their world.

 **After the screen faded and brightened one more time, a dirty bearded man wearing a tunic and pants made from leathers and furs, and a metal helm with a nasal and eye guard worn on his head. A round shield strapped onto his back, and an axe at his belt. Every step he took came with an exhausted pant. All around him, the land was a lifeless wasteland of dry dirt and dead trees.**

 **"The desperate few struggled to survive."**

 **He stopped, his eyes widening with relief, as he saw a tiny stream of water breaking through some rocks and through the dry ground. His exhaustion forgotten, the man quickly stumbled towards the stream, and fell to his hands and knees at the side of the stream of water. With both hands, the man took a handful of water, rose his hands to his mouth, and drank like a man that had not seen water in days.**

"At least people survived," Penny said. Looking for a glimmer of positivity after watching the events and aftermath of the Cataclysm.

"But it must be terrible for them. I mean, almost everything they knew would have been destroyed. Right?" Weiss spoke up, many in the audience agreeing with her words.

"Yeah. It would be very terrible," Ren whispered. His and Nora's heads fell as they recalled the fall of Kuroyuri, holding each other's hand in an act of comfort.

Unaware of the emotional turmoil going on inside both Ren and Nora, the audience continued speaking. They were stopped when Alaric spoke again, this time it was about the man onscreen.

"Just so you all know, this individual is a Vikingr, or Viking as I suppose we should call them. A hardy, northern people who are both renowned seafarers and raiders. Arguably some of the best at both of those things I mentioned."

"Vikings. They sound like a tough bunch," Yang mused to herself. A few agreed with her, while a few frowned upon learning that they were raiders, and thought they sounded like remorseless savages.

 **As the Viking knelt by the stream, footsteps were heard behind him. The pace of whoever those footsteps belonged to increased, and the sound of a metal blade being drawn from its sheathe was heard.**

 **A man wearing makeshift wooden armour over his clothing, an iron kabuto was worn over his head, and a cloth mask over his neck and lower half of his face, emerged from the edge of the screen. A nodachi held in both hands and raised to cut the Viking down.**

 **The Viking turned to face the new arrival, his right hand shooting to his axe while his left pulled his shield from his back. He was able to block the downward swing of the new arrival's nodachi with his axe, but was pushed back and away from the stream of water when the new arrival kicked the face of his shield.**

 **The Viking backed away from the new arrival and took up a guard position. The new arrival stood over the stream, and drew a line in the dirt between the Viking and the precious stream of water.**

"Huh. A samurai?" Winter remarked. She had, in her free time, read up on the various militaries and types of warriors from Remnant's past, and saw greatly similarities between the nodachi wielding new arrival and the old samurai warrior-nobility from Mistral.

"Hey, Yatsuhashi. You'd totally be a samurai in this universe," Coco said to the tallest member of Team CFVY. Fox and Velvet nodded in agreement with their team leader, and Yatsuhashi could not help but feel that Coco was right. Alaric had made no mention of any alternate versions of the audience throughout the viewing of this universe, but deep inside, he felt that there was a Yatsuhashi in this universe, and that he was indeed a samurai.

"Yep. You're a samurai, Yatsuhashi. And a thumping good one I tell ya," Alaric said to the tall young man. Chuckling to himself at a joke only he understood. "Not a lot of them left. Their homeland was swallowed up by the sea, along with most of their people."

Over by the Branwen siblings, who had been moved to sit together, much to each other's chagrin, they were having their own conversation. Of a sorts.

"Hmmm, nice sword." Raven remarked. As a wielder of an odachi, she admired the design of the one wielded by the samurai onscreen.

"Hehehe," Qrow snickered, seeing a dirty joke he could make about what his sister had just said.

"Ugh. Shut up, Qrow." Raven said with an annoyed groan at her brother's 'maturity'.

 **The Viking did not turn away from the Samurai, but gripped his axe and shield tightly, and started to fiercely growl at the Samurai. Standing ready to fight each other, the two were interrupted when a longsword fell from a broken stone bridge, and its blade was planted halfway into the ground near the two warriors.**

 **Looking up to where the longsword had fallen from, the camera focused on a woman wearing steel plate vambraces and greaves, with a visored helm over her head. She also wore a grey surcoat over a chainmail shirt, and spilling out from the back of her helm was a long braid of blonde hair. The woman jumped down from the bridge, and pulled her longsword from the ground.**

"That woman's a Knight, or at least, can be considered one." Alaric said, explaining the newest arrival's identity to the audience before they could say anything.

"Neat entrance," Mercury commented.

"She reminds me of the Warden version of me when we first saw this universe," Jaune whispered to Pyrrha. The red-haired champion nodded in agreement, feeling that there might be a vonnection between the two. An ancestor, perhaps?

"Anything we need to know about them? The Knights, I mean?" Fox asked Alaric.

"Nothing much," the Keeper said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Plenty of you saw what their like when I first showed this universe. A disunited, but fairly dutiful bunch, when they want to be. Plenty of their culture is based on a great empire that was almost completely destroyed during the Cataclysm."

 **The three warriors started to circle each other, waiting for either a chance to attack or when and where to counter an attack. In the centre of the circle they had formed was the stream of water.**

 **"Perhaps we had a chance for peace."** **At the same time, the Viking, Samurai, and Knight lowered their weapons.** **"But desperation and trust are seldom allies."**

 **The Viking let out a roar, and clashed his axe and shield together. The Samurai and Knight's hands shooting back to the grips of their swords.**

"C'mon, why'd he have to do that? They could share the water," Ruby complained.

"Yeah. It's not a lot of water, but still, they could use it together." Yang added.

"The man wants the water. And he's getting the water, no matter what." Alaric said in a casual manner.

Over by Neptune, the blue-haired boy shuddered at all this mention of water. He could stand bottled water, he was uneasy when it came to rain, but large bodies of water freaked Neptune out. Why of all things did he have to be an aquaphobe?

 **The Viking charged at the Samurai and blocked attacks, first from the Samurai and then the Knight, with his shield. The Samurai turned and attempted to slash at the Viking's arm, but was parried by the Viking's axe. The two broke away from each other when the Knight rose her longsword and swung it down at the Samurai, but the eastern man was able to dodge backwards from the strike.**

 **Seeing an opportunity, the Viking made to bash his shield at the Knight's body, but was interrupted when the Samurai leapt forward and kneed him in the chest. As the Viking recoiled in pain, the Knight came up to the Samurai, and struck her longsword's pommel against the side of the Samurai's helmet. A metallic ring echoed through the air as the Samurai fell to the floor for a moment.**

 **The Viking, finding his shield to be a burden, let it drop to the floor and turned back to the fight, both hands on the handle of his axe as he swung it at the Knight. The Samurai too had recovered, got onto one knee, and also swung his nodachi at the Knight.**

 **Thinking quickly, the Knight rose her longsword and blocked the attacks of the Viking and Samurai. A spark, and the ringing sound of metal clashing, was produced when their weapons met.**

 **"So began a millennium of conflict."**

"A thousand years?" Blake questioned, alarmed at the length the conflict between the Knights, Samurai, and Vikings. She was not the only one.

Throughout Remnant's history, there had been examples of wars that had lasted for decades, or were even considered to last for a century or more. They were rare, for the threat of the Grimm made most conflicts end after five years or so. Seeing that a conflict could last for a thousand years made the audience see a down side to the lack of a common enemy, such as the Grimm, in other worlds.

"Why would they fight each other? And for that long? Wouldn't it be better for everyone if they worked together? Couldn't they have worked out peace between each other?" Penny asked.

"Hmmm. There wouldn't be a lot of resources and food left behind after the Cataclysm," Cinder thought aloud. Earning a few looks from the others in the audience. "And even if there were was enough, there would other things that would stop the survivors from living in harmony with one another."

"Indeed. Typical human greed," Alaric spoke up. Beginning to list off a few reasons for the prolonged war between the three factions. "Inability to properly communicate due to differences in language. Vast differences in culture, and other such things. And let's not forget about the fact they've been killing each other, people don't easily forget the losses of brothers and sisters, especially in wars."

Hearing this, most of the audience understood why the war between the Knights, Samurai, and Vikings lasted so long, but did not wholly accept it. That a conflict lasted that long was unacceptable to many, and the massive loss of human life that such a conflict must had caused more so.

 **Time sped up, and the wasteland around the warriors grew green with life. Trees rose, grass sprouted from the once dry earth, and the grey sky parted and turned into a gentle blue. However, it was not just the land and scenery that changed. The three clashing warriors did too.**

 **The Viking, once wearing a tunic, lost it and fought bare-chested. His beard was longer and had been braided, and his physique had become larger and more muscular. The one-handed axe he wielded was turned into a tall, two-handed dane axe.**

 **The Samurai now wore more wooden armour over his body that was identical in design to traditional samurai armour, with large sodes protecting the back of his shoulders, a sleeveless jacket worn over his torso armour. His helmet became more ornate and decorated, and his cloth mask was replaced by a mempo.**

 **The Knight wore steel plate armour of greater quality and make that was identical to the armour worn by Warden Jaund in the first viewing of this universe.**

 **Around them, over a hundred warriors, all of them either a Viking, Samurai, and Knight, fought each other.**

As they watched a green portal formed above Alaric's head, a stone tablet fell through it, the Keeper was able to catch it with his hand in time before it could fall onto his head. Looking down at it, Alaric hummed as he read a set of glyphs engraved onto the tablet, and threw it away once he was done reading, the tablet fading from existence as if flew through the air.

"What's up?" Oscar asked the Keeper, curious as to what had been etched on the tablet.

"Eh. Nothing," Alaric replied. "Just to... uncomplicate a few things, please refer to the samurai wielding the nodachi as 'Kensei'. The knight with the longsword as 'Warden'. And the viking with the battleaxe as 'Raider'. Got it?"

"Uh. Sure," Oscar awkwardly said back to Alaric. He and the rest of the audience did not understand the reasoning behind why Alaric wanted them to do so, but went ahead with it without complaint. How it was supposed to 'uncomplicate a few things' was lost to them.

 **"A thousand years of war."**

 **The Kensei advanced forward through the battle, he parried a strike from a knight captain, and quickly brought his nodachi's blade on his opponents neck. It cut through the chainmail, and bit through flesh. The Kensei pulled his sword free, turned to his right, and thrust his weapon through the chest of a viking warrior that was about to attack him. His nodachi still buried in the viking's chest, the Kensei blocked another attack from a knight with the butt of his sword's handle, and struck their helmed face with it as he pulled his sword free.**

 **The Warden sidestepped a downward swing from a samurai, and struck him in the eye with her longsword's crossguard. Stepping past the soldier as he still reeled in pain from the Warden's attack, the Warden knockdd him aside by striking him in the back of his head with her longsword's pommel.**

 **Meanwhile, the Raider pushed a knight to the ground, and blocked an attack from another knight with the haft of his battleaxe. The Raider turned his weapon, so that the butt of his battleaxe's haft smacked across the knight's face. Then, the axe wielding warrior spun and swung his battleaxe at the legs of a samurai, knocking them off their feet.**

 **"The greatest warriors the world has ever known."**

 **Moving through the green, but increasingly corpse covered field, the Warden ducked under a viking's axe, and stabbed her longsword's blade into his chest. Pushing him away from her, she parried another viking, got behind them and pressed her blade against the side of their neck. With a spin, the Warden then pressed her blade against the viking's neck, the sharp steel opening up a bloody wound that would see the viking quickly die from bloodloss.**

 **Over to the Kensei. As he battled a knight, he spun, dropped to one knee, and severed a knight's leg in two at the knee.**

 **Back to the Raider, they threw an enemy captain over his shoulder, and swung his axe upwards, splitting the lower jaw of a samurai that attempted to kill him. He then turned and brought his dane axe down onto the chest of the captain he had thrown over his shoulder, the axehead cutting through their cuirass and sinking into the captain's chest.**

 **"The reason they fight lost to the ages."**

 **Pulling his axe free from his fallen foe's chest, the Raider turned to find the Warden and Kensei facing him and each other, their weapons bloodied and ready to made bloodier. Circling each other, the three warriors carefully eyed each other, their breathing heavy, not aware that between them was the now blood-choked stream that their ancestors had fought over so many centuries ago.**

"Back to three warriors again," Winter remarked.

"Symbolic, much?" Neptune commented on the scene before them.

The others in the audience thought on it for a moment, and could see that there might be some symbolism in what they were watching right now. They guessed that the Warden, the Kensei, and the Raider represented the three factions fighting each other. The water might represent something, they could feel it, but they did not know what exactly. Peace, maybe?

Whatever the events on the TV screen symbolised, the audience kept on watching.

 **"And yet... here they still stand, searching for a sign of peace."**

 **From a concealed vantage point, an armoured hand carried an arrow stealthily pushed a leaf covered branch aside, giving whoever the hand belonged to a clear view of the three warriors.**

The audience now felt rather suspicious of the narrator. Her voice had taken an ominous tone, and was not helped by the appearance of the hidden archer.

"I don't like where she's going with this," Jaune said. Deeply concerned for what was going to happen next.

"I agree. Whoever this is starting to sound rather... suspicious," Ghira added. Voicing the collective thoughts of the audience in regards the narrator, and her, as of yet, unknown intentions.

Over by Cinder, she could sense that the narrator was planning something, she could practically smell it. Oddly enough, it smelt like something was burning. Burning very close to her as well.

Wait a second.

Looking down at her dress, Cinder saw that the bottom of her red dress had caught fire somehow. Hastily, she quickly put the fire out with the help of Emerald and Mercury. The fire had been small, though the small area where it had burnt was ruined. Looking around for answers as to why that had just happened, she sent a glare at Alaric, who shrugged in response. Finding no answer, Cinder sat back down, but was now on her guard for anything.

While she was looking away, a certain short, pink, white, and brown themed criminal passed a lighter back to Alaric without anyone's notice.

 **The three warriors looked at the ground around them, their eyes falling on the dozens of bloody corpses of friends, enemies, and brothers. In the background, there were few other warriors remaining. Some were still fighting each other, one was seen plunging a sword into a wounded foe, while others had stopped fighting out of sheer exhaustion.**

 **As one they stopped circling each other, and lowered their weapons. The Raider held his dane axe at his side, the Kensei bowing respectfully to the other two, while the Warden planted the tip of her longsword onto the ground and rested her hands on the crossguard.**

 **"I will show them..."**

"Something bad's gonna happen. I can feel it," Blake whispered from where she sat on Team RWBY's couch.

"That coward in the trees is going to mess things up," Yang grumbled. A frown on her face as he and the rest of the audience prepared for what was going to happen next. "Could the archer be the woman that's talking?"

"Just what is she planning?" Ozpin asked no one in particular, trying to figure out his own question as he took a quick drink from his coffee mug.

 **An arrow shot forth from the trees, and a moment later, it had lodged itself below the Raider's right shoulder. The Raider fell to one knee in shock of the sudden attack and the pain it had caused him. When he looked down and saw the arrow, he recognised it to be made by Knights. His anger rising, he broke the arrow, and charged at the other two warriors.**

The audience cringed at the sight of the arrow biting into the Raider. They had seen it coming, but it was still difficult for some, particularly the younger members of the audience, to see.

"Ooh. That must have hurt," Qrow said.

"I estimate a high likelihood of the wound becoming infected, if the Raider does not see it adequately treated soon. I don't think it wise for him to go back to fighting the Warden and Kensei," Penny spoke up.

"Hmmm, you were all right. Something bad did happen," Kali mumbled. A sad look on her face as she spoke. There had been a chance for peace between the three, but it was ruined by whoever had shot that arrow.

"But it didn't have to happen. C'mon, why'd they do that?!" Ruby cried, unable to understand why the shooter of that arrow had done what they did.

 **"I am Apollyon!"**

 **The camera cut to a view from the trees where the arrow had come from. The archer, who was revealed to be indeed a knight wearing black and orange colours, looked on for a moment as he watched the three warrior below battle each other even greater ferocity, before walking away. As he left, the camera panned towards a tall woman attired head-to-toe in blackened steel plate armour that inspired dread in almost all who looked on it, with a dark cape to add to her intimidating appearance.**

 **Silently the woman watched on as the Warden, the Kensei, and the Raider fought. The audience could not help but feel that she exuded not just an intimidating air around her, but one that was laced with pleasure or satisfaction at the sight of three warriors clashing again.**

"Who is this?" Ironwood said with a frown. She may have not been the one to fire the arrow, but it was obvious that she ordered it, or that it was part of her plans. Why she wanted the three warriors to fight still escaped him and the other audience members.

"Apollyon," Alaric answered.

"Ugh, I meant just who is this person. What is she in this universe?"

"Heh, I knew what you meant. I was just messing with you, tin man." Alaric chuckled, earning a few looks at the name he had called Ironwood. "She is the Warlord of the Blackstone Legion. An increasingly powerful Legion of Knights in the lands of Ashfeld."

"'Blackstone Legion'? You mean those Knights that attacked Jacque Schnee's castle in the first viewing you showed us?" Glynda asked the Keeper, recalling the events from the first viewing of this universe. The masked Keeper silently nodded once in response to the Beacon professor.

 **"I bring war."**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

Seeing that this viewing was over, the audience, slightly confused by the last words spoken by the Warlord, looked to Alaric for answer. They wanted answers, and the Keeper was usually more accommodating after a viewing. So came to the questions.

"Can I just ask what Appolyon's goal is? Why does she want war?" Salem asked Alaric. "Does she want it because she likes it?"

"Revenge?" Ghira questioned, a certain bull Faunus coming to his mind.

"Greed?" Winter sending looks towards Roman and Neo as she said that.

"Is war the only things she knows?" Was the question Ozpin asked. Throughout his countless lives, he had known men and women who had gotten used to life in the army, that living a civilian life was extremely difficult or impossible for them.

"None of those, though, you're not wrong there Ozpin. Apollyon wants war because she sees peace as a poison, for in her eyes, times of peace lead civilizations to stagnation. It lets the weak rule over the strong." Many of the audience rose a brow when Alaric mentioned Apollyon's views and personal philosophy. "She believes the strong, the truly strong, should rule over the weak."

"So she'd cause war just because she believes in Social Darwinism?" Qrow grunted, sending a look to his sister, certain that Apollyon and Raven would get along like a fish and water. "Tch, what's her idea of the strong anyway? People who can take from the helpless?"

"People who are willing to fight tooth and nail for their existence. She learnt that when she witnessed a multitude of horrors first-hand, one of them being her village being pillaged and burnt to the ground by Vikings when she was a child," Alaric responded. "Now, enough questions, let me ready another universe for you."

* * *

 **Told you that this one was going to be a short one.**

 **The next chapter... hmmm, I don't know what it will be next.** **It might not be the Destiny chapter I mentioned, it could be the other chapter that I'm currently been working on as per the request of a reader, or it might be something else. We will just have to see.**

 **Anyway, I will see you all when I next see you.**


	27. Battle Tendency - Awaken My Masters

**Author's Note:**

 **Another chapter, another milestone. Over 600 favorites. Over 700 followers. I, the Reticent Phoenix, extend my immense gratitude to those who have been with me since the beginning, and to those who have just recently joined.**

 **At the end of this chapter is an important... question, I guess is what it is. It won't majorly affect this fanfiction or my presence as an author in this site, as far as I know or plan anyway.**

 **Now, let us see some Aztec Fitness Gods awaken!**

* * *

 **JoJo's Bizarre Adventures: Battle Tendency - AWAKEN MY MASTERS**

 _"Yo_ yo, you all ready for a _bizarre_ viewing? It's gonna be quite the _adventure_ ," Alaric said to his audience, a smile behind his mask as he spoke. He'd been planning to show his guests this universe for quite a while. They'd seen a brief clip of it earlier, but he wondered how they would react to seeing it in greater detail and length.

At the very least, he'd be entertained.

"What?" Taiyang questioned Alaric.

"Why'd you do that?" Coco asked, garnering the attention of the Keeper and the other members of the audience.

"Do what?" Alaric responded, pretending not to know what she meant.

"You emphasised ' _Yo yo... bizarre... adventure_ '. I feel like you're trying to go somewhere with that," Coco said. Certain that Alaric had been pretending to not know what she meant earlier.

"Eh, don't worry about it. And don't argue or _battle_ against me over this matter, it annoys me." The Keeper chuckled and waved her off. "And I have a _tendency_ to atomise people who annoy me too much. I also turn such people into _stardust_ , and give said dust to a bunch of Repository Keepers called _Crusaders_ who can make a delicious sausage roll out of stardust."

The audience were silent, they were unsure of how to respond to Alaric's words. They did not really know whether Alaric was joking in his usual manner, or if he was genuinely threatening them. They got their answer when Alaric heartily laughed, and went on to say to them.

"Haha. I'm so terrible, sorry."

"Uh. Okay," said Pyrrha. The red-head and the others in the audience noticed how the Keeper had done it again, but decided not to ask. There would be plenty of time for that when they watched whatever universe Alaric had had readied for them.

"Let's just get on with it and watch this new universe." Raven interjected, having long resigned to the idea that she would be stuck her for quite a while.

"Yeah, the new new universe. Hope this'll be fun," Neptune said. Kicking his legs out and getting himself into a more comfortable position.

Alaric rose his remote, and pressed the play button.

 **The screen brightened, and the audience saw a dark room lit only by a couple large lights directed at a pillar decorated with ancient carvings. Walking around the room, moving equipment about, and tending to the lamps were men in grey military uniforms and metal helmets, a few even wore darkened goggles over their eyes.**

"Who are these people?" Blake asked, though she had a funny feeling that she would not like the answer. Well, more so than usual anyway.

"Nazis. They're... not the kind of people you would want to get to know or associate with," said Alaric. His voice was full of contempt when he said the group's name. "Which makes this universe all the more confusing."

"How so?" Ozpin queried, curious as to why this group affected this universe in such a way, and why the Keeper was apparently scornful of the group.

Alaric did not answer and crossed his arms. No answers were coming from him on that subject.

A few members of the audience looked at the pillar and saw that at its centre were what looked like three life-like carvings of three tall, muscular men wearing nothing but loincloths, sandals, headdresses, and an assortment of jewellery. The craftsmanship of the 'carvings' was so remarkable that the audience could almost believe that they were living men.

 **The camera panned over to the pillar, and that was when the audience, and the soldiers in the room, noticed something peculiar about one of the 'carved' men. At the forehead of the man in the centre of the pillar, and between the two other 'carvings', there was a perfectly circular dark hole.**

 **"There's something amiss, ja?" One of the soldiers called out to his comrades when he noticed the hole, pointing towards the hole in the stone man's forehead as he did.**

 **"Wh-What's with that hole?!" Another nervously questioned, fear in his voice. Others who saw this started to slowly back away from the pillar, retreating behind the lights as if they provided some kind of protection from whatever it was they feared. Strangely, it appeared that they were afraid of the stone carvings of men.**

"This is interesting. What is it they are afraid of?" Cinder thought aloud, thumbing her chin.

"The statues?" Emerald suggested, though she herself did not understand why.

"Something's gonna happen," Roman spoke up with a shrug of his shoulders. "It'd be pretty boring if something didn't."

 **Among them Nazi soldiers was a man with an air of firm authority about him, he wore a heavy coat and a fedora, looked to where the first man had pointed and saw the hole. He, like the soldiers around him, tensed at the sight, but was able to keep calm and swiftly called out to the soldiers around him.**

 **"Keep calm! They're trapped under UV ray exposure and cannot move! Analyse the cavity, but proceed with the utmost caution!" The man ordered.**

 **"Jawohl!" One soldier instantly responded. He and two others took a ladder, and carefully approached the pillar.**

 **As the soldiers did as he had ordered them to, the fedora wearing man crossed his arms and watched as they propped the ladder closely to the pillar, and one of the soldiers climbed up it to look at the hole. The room was silent, all eyes were focused on the soldiers and the pillar, and the air was thick with trepidation and fear.**

 ** _'The sacrifice of Sturmbannfuhrer Weiss von Stroheim and her squad have taught us to be cautious with Pillar Men,"_ ****The fedora wearing Nazi thought to himself. _'Once_** ** _we've excavated the subjects from these catacombs, we'll have them sealed in a bunker in das Vaterland. Where they will never see the light of day again!'_**

"'Subjects'? Does he mean the stone carvings?" Glynda pondered, wondering just why the men onscreen were so cautious around the pillar. Why was it that they would seal a stone pillar with carvings of highly muscled men away in a bunker?

"I'm starting to think they're more than just 'stone carvings'," said Salem. Pointing at the stone 'statues' carved into the pillar.

"'Pillar Men'?" Fox questioned, his brow furrowing. Okay, that was an odd name, but was the man referring to the stone men of the pillar? Were they actually men trapped in stone? It sounded crazy, so that meant there was a high likelihood that it was true.

As they were talking, a couple others in the audience latched onto the mention of Weiss' name, though her surname was different, and asked Alaric about it. The Keeper had decided to leave the audience guessing when it came to the 'Pillar Men', but seemed like he would be more accommodating to their questions about Weiss.

"What was that about Weiss?" Ruby asked Alaric. The Keeper shifted into a more comfortable position on his seat before responding to the young girl's question.

"Oh, uh, Weiss in this universe is a member of these... assholes. An officer in fact. Rather strange how she's a member of their armed forces, considering their usual attitude towards women," Alaric explained. "But, she is in fact a... bit of a decent person, if you look past certain bits of her personality. And the fact that she's a Nazi."

"What's with these guys anyway? Did they do something terrible?" This time, it was Yang that spoke up and asked the Keeper.

The Keeper hummed to himself and tilted his head in thought, internally debating whether he should tell them of what the Nazis had done, or whether to mentally show them. He settled on mentally transmitting certain things that the Nazis had done, it would save time, and he didn't think he had the heart to detail to his guests the atrocities the Nazis had committed.

Doing just that, Alaric telepathically sent images of Nazi atrocities into the minds of the audience. They reacted poorly to the images that played out in their minds, even Cinder and her lot were affected.

"Oh my god," Blake whimpered. The SDC's treatment of Faunus paled in comparison to what the Nazis did to other humans.

"Yeah. Terrible," said Alaric. His voice barely above a whisper.

Silently, the audience continued watching. The images the Keeper sent into their minds slowly fading away, but the horror remaining.

 **The camera cut to a closer look of the wall, and a better view of the stone men. They were not just taller than the average human, their bodies were beyond athletic, their muscles exceeding even Olympic bodybuilders. The one with the hole in his forehead had veins bulging from his extremities.**

Wait, veins? The person who had made these carvings was either really dedicated to capturing the image of the human physique, or there was something more to it all. The last one was what the audience had collectively settled on.

 **"How did this cavity appear? There's not enough light to see inside," the soldier on the ladder said. He was really close to the stone man, and was straining his head upwards to get a good look inside the hole.**

 **"Try looking in there," one of the other soldiers who had accompanied him suggested, his voice a whisper. The soldier on the ladder listened to his companion, and stepped up to the last rung of the ladder. Placing his face directly in front of the hole.**

"This guy's gonna die," Nora stated as she ate her sixth comfort pancake.

"Totally," Qrow added. He and the rest of the audience agreeing with Nora's words. They had seen this kind of thing happen in plenty forms of media, from movies to comics. Something abnormal happens, a person goes to investigate, then is killed shortly after. What the audience was wondering was what would kill him the Nazi soldier.

They got the answer to their question soon enough.

 **A closer look at the hole showed that wind seemed to be gushing out of it, and along with the whooshing sound of wind, the soldier and the audience could hear the faint sound of a... drill?**

 **"I-I can hear something..." The soldier began. He moved his face closer to the hole to get a better look, and that's when it happened.**

 **Bursting out from the hole in the stone man's forehead was drill-like horn that extended several metres long. Of course, there was a man's face in the way of the horn's sudden path of emergence. So, what happens when a man's face gets in the way of such a sharp, fast moving protrusion?**

 **The horn pierced right through the front of the man's cranium and out the back of his skull. Not only that, but as the horn extended it took the man's body with it, until it hung in the air near the end of the horn.**

The suddenness of the emergence of the horn from the stone man's forehead, and the death of the Nazi soldier, caught the audience off guard. Several jumped in their seats. A few fell off their seats. While a couple, who had unwisely decided to eat or drink something, choked on what they were consuming and needed helped from the others.

"THE FUCK?!" Qrow, Taiyang, Ironwood, Roman, Raven, and Neo yelled in shock. Well, in Neo's case she just held up a sign with the words printed on it.

"Where in the hell did that horn come from?!" Glynda, Sun, Neptune, Yang, and Emerald cried. Questioning just where the horn, that was about 4 or more metres (13.1 feet) long, had come from.

"Muwahahaha! Behold, Pillar Men!" Alaric laughed maniacally.

"Those statues actually are people?!" Oscar asked, equally confused and frightened at the same time.

"Yes!" Alaric replied to the young farm boy. Strangely, the Keeper stood up from his seat, pointed at Oscar with both hands, and struck a pose. Confusing Oscar and the others in the audience. Why did Alaric just randomly decide to strike a pose?

 **The Nazis reacted in the way any person would when they see a horn burst out of a stone man's forehead, and skewer a man's skull. They freaked the hell out!**

 **"A horn!" One of the soldiers cried out in alarm.**

 **"Th-The subject couldn't be have..." The fedora wearing man stuttered, the calm image he tried to maintain was giving way to the same panic that was gripping all of his men. "...awakened!"**

 **The stone man quickly started to no longer be stone, but become a creature of flesh and blood.**

 _ **(Pillar Men Theme begins to play)**_

"Is that... music?" Yatsuhashi asked, becoming even more confused than he already was. As he said his question, he gave a Fox a mighty slap on the back for the poor gut was choking on a donut he had been eating.

"Ugh. Thanks big guy," Fox thanked the tall huntsman-in-training.

While many of the audience were confused by the presence of the music, there were those who were getting into it, and started to rock their heads back and forth slightly as they listened to the music. The most notable of the audience who were enjoying the music were Yang and Sun.

"Yes, that is indeed music. I didn't add that in, it came with the universe. You're faces is like the one that I made when I first saw this," Alaric said with an amused sigh. No doubt he had a massive, toothy smile underneath that blank white mask of his.

"I find that hard to believe," Winter and Weiss chorused.

"Trust me, when I recorded this universe, I made _very_ few edits to it. It's part of a very, uh, interesting branch of universes." The Keeper replied. "Keep watching, this is where the fun begins."

 **"Set the radiation output on those lights to maximum!" The fedora wearing man yelled to his soldiers, who were hastily scrambling around in a panic.**

 **"Jawohl!" The soldiers replied as they intensified the light coming from the UV lamps directed at the pillar.**

 **The Pillar Man, still stuck in the pillar but able to move his head, was unfazed by the Nazis' attempts to contain him. What he did next fazed everybody. Moving his head and sweeping his extremely long horn at the two soldiers closest to the pillar, his horn suddenly began to rapidly spin as it made contact with the soldiers bodies, eviscerating them and sending blood and gore flying everywhere.**

 _ **Ruuumblllllle**_

 _ **Squelch**_

 **Strangely, those two words appeared, alongside a few symbols, when the above events happened. The first when the Pillar Man spun his horn, and the second when he tore the soldiers apart with his horn.**

"I'm gonna be sick!" Ruby cried, the sight of such grizzly deaths make her stomach heave, and threaten to expel vomit out of her mouth.

The same went for the rest of the audience. The veteran Huntsmen amongst them, and those who had seen things nearly as gruesome as this, were able to keep themselves together. Those less experienced and hardened members of the audience, such as the huntsmen and huntresses-in-training, Oscar, and Salem had a much harder time keeping the contents of their stomach inside.

Some couldn't hold it in, among them was Jaune, and felt vomit rising up from their stomach and into their mouths. Thankfully, Alaric summoned buckets for those who were about to expel their stomach's contents, allowing them to vomit into the buckets.

"Ugh, that's messed up!" Jaune said before he vomited into his bucket again. Beside him, Pyrrha was rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort her team leader, this was not the first time that she had to do this. Motion sickness was still a problem for the blonde knight, he was getting better, but JNPR still carried around a paper bag just in case.

Meanwhile, those who were not spewing their lunch into buckets, and those not tending to them, questioned why the words and symbols had suddenly appeared. Well, were about to anyway.

"Where-?" Ghira started to say, but paused when Kali placed a hand on his arm.

"Let's just not ask, dear. It'll be better for everyone that way," Kali said. Ghira considered his wife's suggestion, and decided to do as she said. Keeper Alaric's response if Ghira asked him was probably going to be something they would not understand, or they would not get an answer at all.

 **As if by design, the spray of blood and gore from the Nazi soldiers killed by the Pillar Man's horn flew towards in the direction of the UV lights, and covered them.**

 **"I-It's blocked the UV lights in a mix of blood and bodily fluids from my own men!" The fedora wearing man exclaimed. He and his men were past being simply afraid, they were terrified. Pants turning brown terrified.**

"So, UV radiation should affect these Pillar Men?" Penny questioned Alaric, a curious weakness in her opinion.

"Yeah, the Pillar Men were an incredible race. Highly intelligent. Highly athletic bodies. Enhanced senses. Body manipulation. Near enough immortal," Alaric listed off a view of the various abilities and traits of the Pillar Men. "But of all weaknesses to have, theirs is sunlight. About 10% of which is comprised of UV rays."

"'Sunlight'? Like vampires?" Nora asked. "Do they suck people's blood as well?"

"First, yes, like vampires. Second, no. But, they do require on something similar to sustain themselves, " Alaric replied."But I'll leave that last bit for later. You'll see what I mean soon enough."

 **As the fedora wearing man spoke, the Pillar Man retracted his horn, and burst out of the pillar he had been entrapped in whilst the screen entered a state of slow-motion. He was also posing rather fabulously as he did so, I must add.**

 ** _Rumble_**

"Seriously? Why are those appearing?" Emerald asked no one in particular, the green-haired thief was unsure whether she should take this viewing seriously if these kept popping up everywhere.

"The music that's playing isn't bad," Yang whispered to Blake. If she could get it downloaded to her Scroll, she'd play this song whenever she exercised or when she made a dramatic entrance. Now that last one was a great idea. The cat faunus did not listen to Yang, she was busy staring at the Pillar Man as he burst from the pillar in an explosion of dust and stone.

And it was for reasons different than to what some people might be thinking.

"Uh, Yang. Have you noticed something about this Pillar Man? Something... familiar?" Blake said to her blonde-haired partner.

Yang was confused by what Blake meant and turned back to the screen.

 **The Pillar Man landed on his feet, and struck a pose. The camera panned up his body, letting the image of the Pillar Man's chiseled frame get branded into the audience's minds, before going to his face as the Pillar Man opened his eyes. And that was when Yang realised what Blake was talking about. The shape of his face and eyes, the lilac colour of his irises, and his tall blonde hair were more than a little familiar to Yang. For she saw them when she looked in the mirror.**

"Oh my god!" Yang gasped at the realisation of just who the Pillar Man was. It was an alternate version of herself.

"About time you realised," Alaric said with a low chuckle. "So, how does it feel knowing that there's a version of you that's a half-naked vampire with muscles the envy of all bodybuilders everywhere?"

"Uhhhhh," was all Yang could say in response. The reveal was a shocking surprise to her, and left her in a slightly stunned state.

"I knew you'd react that way. Just so you know, his name's Wammu. Like the name too?" The Keeper continued, he was without a doubt enjoying this. "There's a few female versions out there, I could show you what they look like if you want me to."

"I, uh, think we're good thanks." Yang replied to Alaric after recovering from her stunned state. Okay, in her opinion, this universe was both gruesome and genuinely weird.

 **"I pondered the state of Man's strength after two millenia of slumber..." Wammu said as he looked on the humans cowering before him, "...but dependence upon such lackluster luminance imply declination."**

 **"I-It speaks!" The fedora wearing Nazi cried with a stutter from the back of his soldiers.**

 **"The lucent tools of Teutons mayn't withold the will of Wammu!" The Pillar Man yelled.** **Wammu then leapt forward and pretty much danced through the Nazis in such speeds that he was at the back of the group in less than a second. As he moved through them, Wammu left behind greenish after-images wherever he moved.**

"The hell?" Mercury confusedly remarked, voicing the thoughts of everyone in the audience.

Again, another weird sight from the Multiverse, but this one was amongst the weirdest. Now everyone, like Emerald, were wondering whether they should take the events they were taking seriously, because of how odd what they had just seen was.

A half-naked vampire-like man with a body that could make Olympic bodybuilders cry in envy, just danced through a group of Nazis. You tell me that isn't weird!

 **It took a moment for the Nazis and thd audience to realise what Wammu had done, and, like the appearance of Wammu's horn, they freaked out.**

 **"Our hands are..." One Nazi began as he rose his hand to the camera, revealing that it had been melded with the hand of the man next to him.**

 _ **BAM**_

 **"...joined together!" All the men shouted as one. The camera moved to show that the entire group of Nazis had their hands melded to the man to his left and right. Making the soldiers appear like a bizarre, and frankly disturbing, bunch of paper dolls who are joined together by their hands.**

"Okay. I'm not going to even try to ask how the heck Wammu did that," said Taiyang. He and the audience were freaked out by the sigh of the Nazis' hands melded together like that, and decided that they really did not want to know how it did happen.

"Eh, sure. Even I get disturbed whenever I see that, as well as what comes next." Alaric admitted, that last part catching the audience's attention.

"'What comes next'? Oh boy, this not going to good." Qrow grumbled, slightly dreading what the alternate version of his eldest niece was going to do. Might as well take a quick drink to steel himself for it.

As Alaric had unintentionally alerted his guests, what did come next was disturbing. Very disturbing.

 **The fedora wearing man looked at his hand, which was joined with that of the man to his right, he was absolutely shocked by this discovery and could not formulate any words. Instead, he turned to the Pillar Man, but the moment he did, Wammu jabbed an index finger _into_ the centre of the man's brow.**

 _ **THUMP**_

 **Wammu did not kill the man, not yet anyway. He looked down at the man, his fedora having fallen off his balding head, and was whimpering and shaking like a man in the grips of pants-shitting terror.**

 _ **Boooom!**_

 **The man suddenly collapsed, his body appearing to deflate as if all his bones and internal organs had just vanished. One-by-one, so too did the soldiers. Once the last soldier had fallen to the ground, the floor was littered with deflated husks.**

The eyes of the audience went as wide as dinner plate, and their lower jaws fell to the ground. Especially Yang, her lower jaw had buried itself into the ground. An understandable reaction to seeing men collapse like deflated bouncy castles after a half-naked vampire just jabbed his finger into the centre of a human's brow. Against the better judgement of plenty, the audience turned to Alaric, and asked him a predictable question.

"What did Wammu just do?" Ozpin being the one to pose the question that everyone was asking to the Keeper.

"Hmmm, you know how I said that Pillar Men sustain themselves in a similar way to vampires?" Alaric asked. The audience nodded back in response to him, preparing themselves for whatever supernatural, and done right freaky, information he was going to tell them. "Well, through... *sigh*… means that I will not bother explaining to you, Wammu just melted the Nazis' innards and absorbed the resultant mix."

What Alaric just told them was not something they expected, but, thanks to them preparing themselves before he told them, it did not perturb them _as much_ as it would have if they didn't. It was still a very startling thing to hear, but the effect was lessened.

"So, Pillar Men feed off... people smoothies?" Sun surmised, earning a few looks for his curious use of words.

"Eh, sure. If you put it that way, yes. Needs to be living people as far as I'm aware, like vampires!" Alaric responded, before clicking his fingers and pointing to the TV screen. "Now get back to watching! We're almost done with this one."

 **Wammu then walked up to the pillar, turned, then... struck another pose. This time, he rose both his arms into the air and extended his index fingers.**

 **"Wammu!" The Pillar Man cried as he posed. He then pressed his fingers against the cheeks of the two other Pillar Men, and went on to say. "Now is the time! Awaken my masters!"**

 **In an instant, the two other Pillar Men returned to being flesh, and burst from the pillar. One had dark skin, while the other wore wrappings around his head. Interestingly, the Pillar Man with the wrappings around his head held onto a stone mask with a dour expression on its face. I don't think I need to tell you what they did next, but I'm gonna tell you anyways.**

 **They posed... fabulously!**

 _ **TAH-DAH**_

 _ **With that, the screen faded to black.**_

It was now, thankfully for the audience, over. As the screen turned to black, the audience started to voice their overall thoughts on the viewing they had just done.

"Wh-What did we watch?" Salem asked, holding Zwei in her hand for comfort.

"That was... more than a little bizarre," Ren commented.

"Bizarre's an understatement," Cinder added. The half-Maiden still trying to wrap her brain around the abilities of the Pillar Men.

"Yeah," Yang agreed with the 'transfer student' from Mistral. What she said next was rather strange. "And why do I have a sudden urge to go to the gym, and work out? Like work out a lot. A lot, a lot."

Strangely enough, others in the audience, particularly those who prided themselves in their more powerful and well-built physique, felt the same as Yang. It wasn't like they were jealous of the Pillar Men's rippling bodies of muscles. Not at all.

Seeing this, Alaric snorted and took his remote out from the folds of his black robes.

"Well, if you're all done, I'll ready the next universe. Shall I?" The Keeper said to this guests. They nodded in response, and started he started to prepare the next universe that he wanted to show them.

* * *

 **Well, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'. A short one, but an enjoyable one, I hope.**

 **Just so you know, I have no idea who would be Kars and Esidisi _if_ I ever do another chapter on Battle Tendency. ****Now, that "question" I mentioned at the start.**

 **After more than a little deliberation, the thought of setting up a P-atreon page has come to my mind. I was forced to type 'P-atreon' this way because there's some kind of error that happens when I type it down normally. Now understand, I write fanfiction because I enjoy it, and because I enjoy seeing you, the readers, react to my 'work'. Through P-atreon, I can have a source of income for doing something that I enjoy doing.**

 **I'm informing you of this, because I feel like I should check whether the previously mentioned idea of setting up a P-atreon page is okay with you. Whether you approve or disapprove. Please let me know what you think, I'll keep writing no matter what.**

 **Right, I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	28. Important Notice 1

Hello everyone, it is the Reticent Phoenix here. Sorry that this is not a new chapter, but, the next one is in the making.

After a few days contemplating the idea, I have gone ahead and done it. I made a P-atreon page (site still won't let me write P-atreon normally) under the title "Reticent Phoenix". I've only just created it, so there may be a few changes to it in the near future if I notice any mistakes and errors in it.

Can't say much about the page. The profile picture is the same as my profile picture here just so you can tell that it was set up by me. The rewards for donating is not much. All you'll get for now is my appreciation, and, depending on the amount donated, request prioritisation for this fanfic.

I will not pressure you to donate, only do so if you feel that you want to. Patronage will support me, and give me even greater incentive to provide you all with quality chapters for this fanfiction, and any others that I write.

For those wondering, next chapter is going to see the audience react to a few skits from RWBY Chibi. I have already selected which ones, there's gonna be six skits in total if I keep to my plan.

That's all I have to say for now. I'll see you all when I next see you.


	29. RWBY Chibi

**Author's Note:**

 **Following along with a suggestion from a reader, we'll take a quick break from all the fighting and killing scenes of the Multiverse, and try to show some light-hearted and less serious stuff. There is more to the Multiverse than violence and death, after all.**

 **To start it all off, let's begin with RWBY Chibi.**

 **Sorry this chapter took a while. I focused most of my effort on finishing up a chapter for the other fanfic I'm currently writing, which I had not updated in well over a month, so I hope you all understand why it took some time for me to do this.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY Chibi belongs to Roosterteeth**

 **That's all I got to say for now, let's get to the chapter.**

* * *

 **RWBY Chibi**

Keeper Alaric was pressing the various buttons on his remote, as he had done several times before, when suddenly, a small jolt of pink electricity burst out from the remote and stung the hand holding the remote. Recoiling from the jolt of electricity, Alaric accidentally dropped the remote on the floor.

"You alright?" Qrow asked.

"Yeah, it's probably nothing. Probably static electricity or something," Alaric replied. Zwei ran over and picked up the remote in his hand mouth and offered it up to the black-robed man. Alaric accepted the proffered object, scratched the top of the corgi's head and said. "Hah, good boy! Here, you can have a seat. It would be improper to just let you lie on the dirty floor all the time, right?"

With that, a cushioned chair materialised next to Team RWBY's couch. The corgi happily barked, ran up to the chair, and after a bit of a struggle, got onto the seat and lay down. As soon as Zwei was comfortable, Alaric clicked his fingers, and two popping sounds rang through the air of the room. And two familiar men returned to the room, and landed on two seats suddenly readied for them.

"What the-?" Professor Port exclaimed, surprised to see himself in the viewing room again.

"Hmmm, this is interesting." Doctor Oobleck remarked, as surprised as his colleague.

That's right, I brought Port and Oobleck back. Don't question it please.

"Now, to the next universe." The Keeper said as he rose his remote and pressed the play button.

 _ **~ Junior Detectives: Bad Cops ~**_

 **The screen brightened, and what faded into view was an intriguing sight. In a poorly lit room that looked very much like a police interrogation room, there stood two figures with rather short bodies and disproportionately large heads. The two figures turned out to be Sun and Neptune, and strangely they were wearing fake moustaches, the former trying to keep it attached to his face.**

"Wait, is this the universe Chibi Ruby's from?!" Ruby squealed, hoping to see her shorter adorable self again, as well as the things she and her chibi friends got up to. Maybe they'd get to see Crescent Rose as well.

"Hey, what the...?" Alaric frowned behind his blank mask, and looked down at his remote. His puzzlement attracting the attention of a few in the audience.

"Something wrong?" Qrow asked the Keeper.

"This isn't the universe I planned for you all to see," Alaric said, "but there's nothing wrong with this. I was planning to show you this universe anyway, might as well do it now while it's here."

"Heh. I don't look bad as a chibi," Neptune remarked to himself. His words followed shortly after by Sun, who was similarly impressed by the appearance of his chibi self, from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.

"So do I," the monkey faunus said. Going ahead and sharing a quick fist-bump with Neptune a second later.

"But what are you two doing? And why are you wearing those terrible fake moustaches?" Weiss questioned, intrigued to see the RWBY Chibi-verse, and still questioning how they were physically possible. Then again, after all the stuff she and the rest of the audience had witnessed, she wasn't even going to consider asking that question.

 **"That's not fair! Last time you said I could be bad cop!" The chibi version of Neptune whined, turning away from his teammate and crossing his arms.**

 **"Look, you're just not a very good bad cop, okay? I'm sorry!" Chibi Sun replied apologetically.** **Neptune looked back at Sun from the corner of his eyes, before turning back to face him, and asking.**

 **"Really?"**

 **"See?!" Sun pointed at Neptune. "That's not bad cop material!"**

 **"Well, I'm sorry I have feelings!" Neptune pouted, turning his back towards Sun again.**

 **"Bad cops don't have feelings!" Sun retorted.**

 **"I'll show you!" Neptune shot back, before he unexpectedly leapt onto Sun's head. The monkey faunus tried to get Neptune off of him, but the blue-haired teen had latched tightly onto his head.**

The audience were mostly amused at the antics on display, while a few rolled their eyes at how childish the two were acting. A few of them expressing their thoughts on the two onscreen.

"Dorks," Blake muttered to herself in amusement as she watched the two chibi teens fight each other.

"Uh, what was all that about being 'bad cops'? Are they gonna do some kind of 'good cop, bad cop' routine?" Yang snorted at the idea of the two acting that way, but another question came to her mind. Just who were they going to interrogate?

"Are these guys roleplaying? I can't imagine those two being actual cops," Emerald questioned.

"Hey! Neptune and I are certified junior detectives!" Sun interjected, the two huntsmen-in-training producing a badge from their pockets and showing them to the audience.

 **However, before things could escalate even further, the door suddenly burst open, and another familiar figure was thrown into the room and landed onto a vacant chair opposite Sun and Neptune. That person being Nora, those familiar with her were already dreading what was going to happen next.**

 **Sun and Neptune quickly seperated from each other a couple moments after Nora's arrival. The former then took a manilla folder from the table, leafed through it for a bit, and asked the orange-haired lover of pancakes and destroyer of legs.**

 **"Let's see here. Nora... Valkyrie, is it?"**

 **"That's what they call me," Nora smoothly replied.**

"Oh no," a few members of the audience groaned when they saw Nora get thrown into the interrogation room. They had all by now gathered an understanding that something odd usually happened when Nora was to appear in most of these viewings.

"They have nothing on me! I demand a lawyer!" Nora stood on JNPR's couch, accidentally stepping on Pyrrha's left hand, and cried in outrage.

"Please sit down, Nora." Ren casually said to his best friend.

 **"Alright, Miss Valkyrie." Sun suddenly slammed the folder onto the table and leaned over towards Nora as he spoke. "Now, what would you say is your favorite breakfast food?"**

 **Before Sun could say more, or even before Nora could answer him, Neptune jumped in. Pushing Sun aside with enough force to send him to the ground, and tried to interrogate Nora as well.**

 **"Where were you on March 1st?! Where were you on the night of the pancake incident?!"**

"Why did it have to be pancakes?" Jaune sighed with a shake of his head.

"I did nothing to those pancakes! Let me go or I'll break your legs!" Nora continued to shout.

"Please calm down Miss Valkyrie. We don't even know what this other you supposedly did," Glynda said to the orange-haired girl.

"What is up with her and pancakes?" Oscar remarked.

"Um, what are pancakes? Are they like regular cakes? Scones? Or is there something unique about them?" Young Salem hesitantly asked.

Nora took a step away from the young woman and loudly gasped, acting as if someone had performed a terrible act of sacrilege. Ren sighed, knowing just what was going to happen next for he'd seen it happen a fair few times before. Recovering from the shocking revelation that Salem did not know what pancakes were, Nora leapt forward and began to lecture her about pancakes. Going on to explain their texture, the toppings you could have on it, the appropriate times to have pancakes, and even a detailed history of pancakes.

After what felt like an hour or more, Nora finished her lecture. Most of the audience had either fallen asleep, were playing video games on consoles and computers provided by Alaric, idly chatting to one another, or playing card games.

"I feel like I want to have some pancakes," Salem simply stated. The woman from Remnant's ancient past had surprisingly listened attentively to Nora's lecture, and developed a craving for pancakes as a result.

The other members of the audience noticed that Nora was done speaking, and let out sighs of relief. They could finally get back to watching the Chibi-verse. Raven, seeing that Alaric had fallen asleep on a hovering bed of clouds, punched his shoulder to wake him up.

"Wha-?!" Alaric jumped in alarm at Raven's method of waking him up. Seeing Nora was done, the Keeper sat up and turned his bed of clouds into a chair for him to sit on. "You got a mean punch lady. But never mind all that, let's get you all back to watching this universe."

The objects that the awake members of the audience used to occupy themselves during Nora's lecture disappeared. And once they all returned to their seats, Alaric pressed play on his remote.

 **Sun popped back up and angrily confronted Neptune for his abrupt interruption.**

 **"Yelling already?! That's way too soon! You call yourself a 'bad cop'?!"**

 **"I don't know what you're talking about! I'll never talk," Chibi Nora, and the Nora in the audience, adamantly replied to the two junior detectives.**

 **Sun and Neptune looked to each other, before turning back to face Nora. The monkey faunus taking the leading again.**

 **"We have an eyewitness linking you to the scene of the crime!"**

"Someone ratted you out, eh?" Roman remarked.

"Who?!" Nora gasped, genuinely shocked that someone would do such a thing to her.

"You won't let things get out of hand. Will you?" Ghira quietly whispered to Alaric, a bit concerned as to what would happen when the eyewitness was revealed.

"Eh, sure." The Keeper casually replied, not bothering to look at the Chieftain of Menagerie as he did. His response did not inspire confidence in the panther faunus, but guessed he would have to trust Alaric for now. If he didn't do anything, Ghira and the others in the audience would have to act if something did happen.

 **The screen cut to another scene, this time it was a police lineup. The camera panned across the lineup, allowing the audience to see just who it was that were present.**

 **First was Ruby, who was nonchalantly picking her nose. Next to her was Weiss, the Schnee heiress gagging in disgust when she saw what Ruby was doing. Blake was quietly sitting on the floor and reading a book, not concerned with the situation she was in and what was going on around her. Beside her was Yang, the blonde huntress-in-training was cheekily flexing and posing. After her was Pyrrha, who sheepishly waved at the camera. The final person of the lineup was Nora, and the audience could not help but stare at her.**

 **Why? Because Nora was incredibly obese, belching when the camera focused on her.**

 **The camera pulled away from the lineup, and showed that Sun, Neptune, and Ren were in an adjacent room behind a glass window. Ren was pointing at Nora, and fell at Neptune's feet, hugging him tightly.**

 **"Shh... Its gonna be alright. She can't hurt you anymore," Neptune comforted the Chibi Ren, rubbing the top of his head as he did.**

"It was you!" Nora cried, pointing at Ren. Her eyes filled with hurt at this shocking betrayal.

Ren did not answer her, and just facepalmed at the entire situation. No one asked just how Chibi Nora could be so morbidly obese in one scene, but appeared to be 'normal' in another. Asking would just heard their heads.

Meanwhile, others were reacting to the seeing the chibi versions of the six girls in the lineup.

"Ruby! Y-You don't actually... pick your nose, do you?" Weiss asked her team leader, aghast at the thought that Ruby _might_ be doing such an unhygienic action without her notice. What if she did? What if she did not wash her hands? What if Ruby had touched Weiss' belongings after she... gosh, she did not want to say it.

"Of course not! I don't pick my nose, t-that's gross." Ruby replied, worried that Weiss would want to stop being her best friend for forever if she thought that Ruby did pick her nose.

"It is indeed a bad habit to pick your nose. It is better that one blows their nose on a tissue to remove boogers, and eating boogers is not something someone should do. For boogers are-" Penny started to say, but was prevented from continuing by Ironwood.

"I do not think we need to know more, Penny. I'm certain we all understand by now."

While that was happening, Blake was being embarrassed by her mother. The sight of Chibi Blake invoking a few memories from the older Belladonna.

"Oh my. Blake, you look absolutely adorable!" Kali squealed, having gone over to her daughter and hugging Blake's head close to her bosom. "This version of you reminds me of when you were little. I still have pictures, I should bring them out and-"

"Mom!" Blake groaned in embarrassment. Yang and Sun were openly chuckling at Blake, while Ghira smiled at Blake and Kali's 'bonding moment'.

"Huh. You look alright as a chibi, Pyrrha." Jaune commented to the red-haired champion, who graciously accepted his words. The two were still close to each other, Jaune's arm over Pyrrha's shoulders. Pyrrha had thought this might give her the strength to do something, what she did not know, but she expected that she would have done something to better gain Jaune's attention.

The champion's predicament did not go unnoticed, and a voice soon rang through her head.

 _If you want him, you'll have to do something more than just dropping hints here and there. And you'd better do it soon,_ the voice, Alaric's, said to her. Alarmed, Pyrrha looked towards the Keeper and saw that he was idly examining his gloved fingers. _This inaction of yours is something a great many versions of you share. It something you often come to regret till the very end. If you continue this way, I might just do something more serious to spur you on, to help you realise this desire for that... for him._

Alaric ceased speaking to Pyrrha, leaving the champion deep in thought.

 **Cutting back to the to the interrogation room, Chibi Nora decided to make a move. An odd move that confused the audience.**

" **Oh yeah?!" Nora said, jumping onto her chair and planting a foot on the table. "Well, where were you on the night of the pancake massacre?!"**

 **Her question was directed at Neptune, who tensed and awkwardly replied to Nora.**

 **"Uh... I don't have to tell you that!"**

" **Dude, this is super common. She's just trying to intimidate you. Just answer her," Sun whispered reassuringly to his partner.**

 **"No," Neptune quietly said.**

 **"Yeah, see?! Wait, why don't you want to say?!" Sun asked his partner, confused at his refusal.**

 **"I don't wanna," the blue-haired young man replied.**

 **"He's sounding awfully guilty... isn't he, partner?" Nora zipped over to Sun's side and said into his ear.**

 **"Yeah. He is," Sun affirmatively replied, taking a step away from Neptune as he did.**

"You've got to be kidding me," Cinder spoke up. Gosh, she did not want to see anymore, and most certainly did not want to see a chibi version of herself.

"Yeah, this universe is a bit of an odd one." Alaric muttered in response. "I got a few more after this to show you before we're done with this universe. You might see yourself in one of these."

Cinder frowned at Alaric, her right eye twitching. If she could kill him and get away with it, she'd do it in a heartbeat, first chance she gets.

" **I was... I don't know. I was just out for... a walk," Neptune nervously tried to defend himself. "Jogging! I was jogging... slowly. I guess that's walking."**

 **"Just tell us where you were!" Sun demanded.**

 **"I was coming back from dance class!" Neptune loudly confessed.**

 **"A-ha!" Sun triumphantly let out, before he realised just what Neptune had just said and looked at him in confusion. "Uh, wait, what?"**

The audience, though a few were amused by the events going on, were mostly confused. Nora was supposed to be the one that was to be interrogated, but she had somehow succeeded in switching the entire thing around, and it was Neptune that was now the one being interrogated.

Also, Neptune took dance classes?

 **"And then what?" Nora jumped in, adding her voice to the interrogation.**

 **"And then I ate all the pancakes!" Neptune shouted to the ceiling, 'confessing' that it was him that had committed the heinous crime of eating the pancakes.**

 **"Nailed him!" Nora sang, she pulled out a moustache similar to those worn by Sun and Neptune, put it on, and offered a fist to Sun for a fist bump. Shrugging, Sun obliged her, and the two bumped fists.**

 **The screen faded to black.**

Seeing that this part of the viewing was over, the audience, still a mix of confused and entertained by what they had just seen, took a moment to express their thoughts.

"T-That can seriously have happened. Did it?" Fox asked. He, and everyone else, was perplexed as to how Nora twisted the interrogation around.

"How the heck could she have done that?! She was the obvious culprit!" Weiss ranted. "How-?"

"I think we should realise something when it comes to Miss Valkyrie. If it is bizarre, crazy, extremely dangerous, or shouldn't even happen in the first place. Miss Valkyrie will more likely than not make it happen," Ozpin interjected.

"That..." Weiss started to say, but paused when they saw Nora, apparently oblivious to all the talk regarding her, swallow an entire cake in a single gulp. "Forget it."

"Nora-" Ren started to say, but was interrupted by Nora.

"Don't worry Ren! I forgive you," Ren was not going to ask for forgiveness and a part of him wanted to continue. But, he shrugged and did not continue. He was after all going to suggest that she tone it down when it came with the frequency of eating pancakes, yet he doubted that she would have listened in the first place.

As the audience were conversing with each other, they noticed that the TV screen was starting to brighten again.

"Oh, is there more for us to see? Is it the same universe?" Taiyang questioned, intrigued by the idea of what might happen next. Alaric did not answer, and just let the TV play on, the single father of two quickly getting his answer.

 _ **~ Stand Up Yang ~**_

 **Once the screen brightened, the audience saw Yang standing in the spotlight of a dimly-lit comedy bar. Sitting in front of her was an audience consisting of Sun, Ren, Jaune, Zwei, Ruby, and Blake. From the way everything was set up, it looked like Yang was supposed to be doing a stand-up comedy routine.**

 **Key words, supposed to be.**

"God damn it, Yang." Qrow groaned, knowing just where this was going, and he was not going to happy about the whole thing.

"No. Nooooooooo!" Weiss uncharacteristically screamed, covering her ears with her hands in preparation for what was to come.

"Weiss! Calm down!" Winter sternly barked at her sister, she was aware that Yang's sense of humour was terrible, but found her younger sister's reaction to be excessive and unnecessary.

"Hey, don't be like that. I bet this me is going to have some pretty great jokes!" Yang rebuked the rest of the audience for their negative reactions to her appearance. The only persons who had not reacted in such a manner were Taiyang and Alaric, the former because he shared his daughter's sense of 'humour', and the latter because he was able to keep a straight face.

"I very much doubt that Miss Xiao Long," Oobleck said in response to Yang's claim. Having overheard many examples of Yang's less than impressive puns during classes.

 **"Did you hear about the teacher at Beacon who wears an eye patch? I heard they had to let him go. Turns out he only had one 'pupil'!" Was Yang's first 'joke'. The response she received was less than positive.**

 **The audience onscreen, and the audience watching the events of this universe, groaned unenthusiastically at that 'joke'. Zwei even whimpered.**

 **"Ouch," Chibi Jaune was heard to say.**

"That-That was bad. Just bad," Coco said with a disappointed shake of her head.

"C'mon, it wasn't bad at all." Yang tried to defend her chibi self.

"It was _worse_ than bad, Yang. It was terrible. Absolutely terrible," Blake cut in. A humourless tone to her voice and expression written on her face.

Yang pouted and turned away from them. She did not care what they said, that joke was great in her opinion.

 **"Hey everyone! Don't forget the tournament starts next week! It's 'vital' we all do our best! As in, the Vytal Tournament?" Was Yang's next 'joke', earning more groans of annoyance from both audiences watching. Not hearing the roaring laughter she expected, Yang tapped the microphone she stood behind and asked. "Hello? This is on, right?"**

 **"Unfortunately!" Sun called out in answer to her.**

 _"This is more like a tragedy than comedy,"_ was written on a sign that Neo pulled from nowhere. A few others in the audience shared this sentiment.

"Someone plug my ears with wax! I don't want to hear anymore!" Mercury howled, covering his ears with his hands after hearing that bad pun. Even Zwei, the family's faithful dog, whimpered and covered his ears with his little paws.

"Hey!" Yang scowled at the two. If Alaric allowed them to have their Semblances, Yang's eyes would be bright red and her hair would be a pillar of fire right now.

 **"So... My roommate Blake was coughing up hairballs all night," Yang started to say, pointing at Blake. "We thought it was a 'cat'-astrophe.**

 **"Ugh," Blake groaned, shaking her head while she expressed her distress at Yang's humour. Unfortunately, Yang was not done, and continued on.**

 **"But now she's 'feline' much better!"**

 **Jaune and Ren boo and jeer while Sun blinks and looks very uncomfortable.**

"How often do you have to deal with this kind of... humour? _If_ you can call it that," Winter asked her younger sister. However, it was Yang that decided to answer her, in a typical Yang manner.

"Hey. Don't be so 'cold', Winter." Yang jokingly said tot he older Schnee.

The audience wailed and groaned in despair at how the Yang in the audience was now making terrible puns. A few felt like bashing their heads against a wall, plugging their ears with wax like Mercury said, or anything that could distract them from Yang's poor humour. Salem had even choked on a piece of a pancake she had been eating.

"Tai, what kind of jokes have you been telling your daughter?" Ironwood questioned the blonde-haired huntsman.

"What? Great ones. Like the ones I used to tell back when we went to Beacon," Taiyang explained, making all those who had known him during his time at Beacon stare at him.

"That... that explains everything," Raven sardonically remarked. Personally aware of just what those 'great jokes' Tai spoke up were.

 **In response, Jaune and Ren booed and jeered at Yang for that atrocious pair of puns.**

 **"Get off the stage!" Jaune yelled at Yang.**

 **"I just remembered!" Sun said as he suddenly got onto his feet, the monkey faunus was unable to stand yang's standup routine any longer. "I'm supposed to be, uh... Not here."**

 **However, before Sun could go anywhere, Ren firmly grabbed hold of his tail and pulled him back down to his seat. Ren grimly saying to the monkey faunus as he grabbed his tail.**

 **"If we have to sit through this, so do you."**

"Not cool man," Sun said to the Ren in the audience. Getting a shrug in response from Ren.

 **"I'm the main act, people. This is as good as it gets!" Yang said to the audience, trying to placate the small group gathered in the room.**

 **"This is worse than Ozpin throwing new students off a cliff!" Chibi Sun shouted up to the stage, earning a few chuckles from his fellow audience members.**

Everyone in the audience sent Ozpin a sideways glance. A few of them, not naming who, were a bit sour at how he started Initiation by launching them off a cliff.

The Headmaster of Beacon ignored them, and calmly took another sip from his coffee mug.

 **Sun then leapt onto the table, turned to the audience, and carried on speaking.**

 **"Right? I mean what's he gonna do when they graduate? Set them on fire?!" The audience openly laughed at Chibi Sun's words, much to Yang's distress.**

 **"No, don't listen to him!" Yang tried to draw the attention of the audience away from Sun, and back to her. "You! Stop being funny!"**

 **"How about you start being funny!" Sun wittily responded, causing t** **he audience to laugh again.**

Members of the audience watching joined the five chibis in their laughter, finding Chibi Sun to be genuinely funny as opposed to Yang. Despite this though, not everyone was amused by Chibi Sun.

You can guess who.

 **"Wait, wait, wait." Yang desperately uttered, her brain thinking a mile a minute to find a good pun. One came to mind, and she went ahead with it. "You haven't heard about that time I, uh... fought a Nevermore! Yeah! It was a pretty 'Grimm' situation!"**

 **Yeah, that joke was terrible, and the audience booed at Yang like they had done before. Seeing that the audience would not be swayed, Yang decided to leave, a trap door underneath her opening.**

" **Out with a Yang!" Yang was able to let out before she fell into the trap door.**

 **Once she was gone, the TV screen turned to black a second time.**

"It's over? Phew, thank goodness!" Oscar sighed in relief, glad that they did not have to listen to anymore terrible puns. Well, at least from the TV anyway, there was still the possibility that the Yang sitting with them could make puns.

However, it did not look like Yang would be making a puns for a while. For she had slumped into Team RWBY's couch and crossed her arms, a grumpy pout on her face. She did not take how that last viewing ended, and the reactions of the other members of the audience she was sat with.

"Soooo... Is there anything else you want to show us from this universe?" Roman asked. "Something without terrible puns?"

"Yep, about one or two more. The next one's why I brought you two back," Alaric responded, pointing a thumb towards Port and Oobleck.

"Really? Does it involve dashing feats of daring-do performed by a certain strong, charming, and huntsman?" Port asked, his interest piqued and an eyebrow raised. The Keeper snorted in amusement, and shrugged without responding to him.

"I suggest you don't get your hopes up, old friend." Oobleck cautioned his colleague and friend.

 _ **~ Man Up With Port ~**_

 **The TV screen brightened again, and the audience saw that whatever was happening appeared to be in the Emerald Forest. There was a rustling in some bushes, moments later, none other than Peter Port leapt out from the bush.**

 **"Haha! Did I scare you? That's because my bare hands are lethal weapons!" Chibi Port laughed at the screen, as he came close to the camera and showed of his hands to the audience. This caused a bit of confusion in the audience.**

"Uh, is he talking to us?" Jaune said, scratching his head and wondering if Chibi Port was aware that the events of his universe were being recorded. The Keeper realised what he and a few others were thinking, and quickly answered Jaune's question.

"What? No, no, no, no. This is a video that Chibi Port made in this universe, with Chibi Oobleck as the cameraman."

"This is a surprise," Port spoke up, "but one that I'm sure will be enjoyable."

A few audience members, mainly the other Beacon professors, rolled their eyes. The Beacon students quietly groaned, fearing that Chibi Port would go on one of Port's (in)famous speeches. If he did, at least his speech wouldn't make their ears bleed like when they listened to Chibi Yang's awful puns.

 **"Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with such deadly appendages." Port carried on, posing and flexing, showing off his 'impressive' muscles and physique. "And sometimes, even someone as virile as me needs to use an actual weapon."**

 **Port then pulled out his blunderbuss-axe, tossing it into the air with one hand and catching it in the other. As he did, the words 'MAN! UP! WITH PORT' appeared on screen, the sound effect of a eagle cawing and a man roaring was heard in the background.**

"This is pretty well edited, and the camera work isn't bad. I guess," Velvet commented. She was no expert, but she thought this was okay.

"'Man! Up! With Port'? Really?" Glynda sighed. What made this worse was that this was probably something that was not out of character for Professor Port, and she feared that he might get some ideas after watching this.

"Hmmm, I wonder how I was dragged into this." Oobleck muttered to himself. He and Port were close friends, but he did not really think that aiding Port in his video projects would be something he would do. He'd rather read a book.

"My, my. This looks like it could be _very_ interesting!" Port smirked underneath his moustache, lightly stroking it while he did. Getting some ideas whilst watching his counterpart onscreen. Maybe he should take his stood on outings to the Emerald Forest every once in a while, have them do things that will toughen them up and teach them a few more things about the Grimm through practical means.

That sounded like a good idea, in his opinion anyway.

 **The camera moved away from Port, the way the camera shook showed that someone was indeed behind it. Port started to walked to the right of the camera, twirling his weapon in his hand, the camera following him closely.**

 **"That's why today, I'm going to teach you to make your own custom weapon! En garde, villain!" Port stood before a tree, levelled his blunderbuss-axe at it, and fired on it. The weapon blasting a huge hole into the tree's trunk.**

 **"Oh! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Oobleck was heard to whisper from behind the camera, as he hurriedly moved to the other side of the tree, and focused the camera on the other side of the hole Port had created. Not a moment later, Chibi Port rolled through the hole in the tree, the man turned to the camera and continued to speak.**

" **You'll need to gather metals from the most treachorous mountaintops, as well as wood from dark, forbidden forests!" That was when some unexpected came to view.**

 **Two tall rabbit ears with brown fur poked out from a bush behind Port, their owner curiously listening in Port's speech.**

"Hey, it's Velvet!" Ruby cheered, pointing at the pair of rabbit ears now onscreen.

"Oh, uh, yeah. It's me. It-It is me, right?" Velvet asked Alaric, wanting to be sure that it was indeed herself in those bushes.

"Yeah it's you," the Keeper replied.

 **"And of course, several pints of your own blood." Port kept on talking, but while he did, Velvet popped out from the bushes like a jack-in-a-box, and started to take a couple photos of Port with her camera.**

"Um, what is Chibi Velvet doing?" Weiss questioned, unaware of the full extent of the camera's functions and abilities.

Unlike the others, Velvet, her teammates, a the Beacon professors recognised just what it was that Velvet was doing, but wondered what it was that she planning to do. Honestly, Chibi Velvet looked far more mischievous than the Velvet in the audience with them. Was their Velvet ever mischievous? I sure don't know.

 **"Some of you won't survive the process, but if you do live, you'll have a one-of-a-kind manly weapon that-"**

 **As Port spoke, Velvet produced** **a purple holographic copy of Port's weapon from her camera, and held it in her hand. Snicker to herself as she did.**

"Whoa, hold on a second! Is _that_ your weapon?!" Neptune asked Velvet, caught off guard by what she had just done.

He wasn't alone, and several others in the audience looked at the rabbit faunus with intrigued expressions on their faces. Of course, this didn't go over to well with Velvet, and the young woman shrank a bit whilst under the collective gaze of many other members of the audience.

"Um, yes." Velvet hesitantly answered.

"You can create identical fully functional copies of other people's weapons?" Raven added, seeing it to be a rather curious weapon, one that she was certain Summer would have loved to get her hands on if she was still around and found out about it.

"Is that over-powered or...?" Oscar started to ask but trailed off. He wasn't sure if it was, but it kind of sounded like it to him.

"I don't know," Alaric shrugged his shoulders. Aware that in a few other RWBY universes, there were some really overpowered weapons and Semblances. In some occasions, Velvet's weapon was amongst, while in others, her weapon was not. "Just keep watching. We're getting to the good part."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Port cried, certain that the best part of this skit was when it was focused on him.

 **Finally noticing there was someone behind him, either because he heard Velvet or because Oobleck pointed out that she was there, Port looks back and inspected the weapon in the rabbit faunus' hand. He was not at all pleased by Velvet's interruption of his video, and tried to wave her off.**

 **"Well, sure, but it's not as manly as the real deal, is it?" Port scoffed.**

 **Velvet then went a step further and created something else, much to the surprise and amusement of most of the audience. From her camera a** **purple holographic copy of Port's moustache appeared on her face.**

 **"Ho ho! No one can oppose me and my manly moustache!" Velvet said imitating Port's voice.**

"Hey, can you do that?" Ren asked Velvet.

"I-I-I've... never tried," Velvet meekly responded. Her camera could copy the weapons of other people, but she'd never experimented with other things before, least of all facial hair. She wasn't even sure that her camera could actually do what Chibi Velvet just did.

"That-That's just... That's just disrespectful!" Port huffed. Shocked by Chibi Velvet's audacity to mock him and his facial hair, especially his facial hair.

 **Chibi Port, a little miffed by Velvet's behaviour, tried to voice his discontent.**

 **"Hey, now! Don't ridicule the-"**

 **"Grrrrrrr! I am the manliest!" Velvet interrupted him, continuing on with her imitation of port and bouncing on the spot as she spoke.**

 **"Okay, okay, I get it." Port said, giving up with this 'Man Up With Port' video. He had a few more ideas for future videos anyway.**

 **The rabbit faunus carried on with her mockery, pressing the barrel of her copy of Port's weapon against the professor's head, and saying.**

 **"Bow down to my facial hair!"**

 **"I'm going back in the bushes..." Port sighed. He turned away from Velvet and walked into some bushes offscreen. This skit wasn't done though, for Oobleck then focused the camera on Velvet, the rabbit faunus playing along and continuing with her imitation of Port.**

 **"Respect the moustache!" Velvet said.**

 **With that that, the screen turned to black for a third time.**

Plenty of the audience were entertained by this skit, while some openly laughed at it. Seeing how others found it funny, and finding it humorous as well, Velvet joined in the laughter. Port, like Yang after that skit with the standup routine, crossed his arms and frowned. Not at all amused by how his chibi self was humiliated. Oobleck tried to cheer him up, but did so with little success.

Once they were done laughing, the various members of the audience expressed their thoughts on the skit they just saw.

"Hahaha, I really liked that Velvet!" Coco stated, the fashionista had thoroughly enjoyed watching that skit, and wondered if they would see more like it.

"She was certainly more mischevious than our one," Yatsuhashi added. The tall huntsman-in-training put a hand on Velvet's back, encouraging her to express her own thoughts on the skit and her counterpart's actions.

"She was alright," Velvet quietly murmured. Admiring her chibi counterpart's confidence. and apparently less shy demeanour.

"Glad you enjoy that one. I got one more to show you," the Keeper told his guests, pointing at the steadily brightening screen in front of them. Hearing that audience turned to the TV screen and prepared themselves for what they would see next.

 _ **~ Meet the Author ~**_

 **Chibi Ruby and Chibi Blake are waiting in line at a bookstore behind some shadow people. Blake is tightly clutching a book, no surprises there, called 'Howling at the Moon' close to her chest. The cat faunus appeared to be very excited, and paid no heed to the fact that her cat ears were visible for all to see. In the background, a picture of puma faunus named 'Tukson' declaring him Employee of the Month hung on a wall.**

The audience were, understandably, confused by the sight of the shadow people. It was incredibly strange to see their near featureless appearance, and they couldn't understand why Chibi Ruby and Blake were the only ones that stood apart from them all.

"Um, what's up with these shadow people?" Fox asked calmly, though he was just as confused as everyone else.

"Oh yeah, that's a... that's a, um... A thing in this universe. Best to just ignore them," Alaric waved the audience's concern away. While he did, he focused his attention at Zwei and telepathically spoke to the corgi. _You're in this one boy. Hope you enjoy._

The corgi nodded at Alaric, confirming that he had heard his message. Zwei then started to wag his tail, excited to see just what his role in this universe was.

Over by the bad guys, Mercury and Emerald shared a quick look when they saw the picture of Tuckson. This was a bit awkward for the two, maybe. What was done was done, and Tuckson's death had not been connected to either of them.

 **"I can't believe my favorite author is here signing books. He wrote the Howling at the Moon series. It's about a beastly protagonist who can never reach the object of his affection. It's so romantic. So tragic!" Chibi Blake said to Ruby with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. Really, it was a bit odd to her Blake, or a version of her at least, to sound so excited about something.**

 **"Jeez, Blake, I've never seen you so wound up before." Ruby remarked, finding it a bit weird how Blake was acting right now.**

 **"This is huge! He's a genius, and yet no one knows what he looks like. So mysterious. Oh my god, I could die." Blake sighed, a light blush come appearing on her face.**

"I must agree with Chibi Ruby on this. We've never once seen you like this, I believe." Weiss said to be Blake.

"Ha, you're squealing like a fangirl, Blake." Yang smirked at her partner, earning a blank look from the cat faunus. Blake wasn't really fond of her alternate self being described that way, despite knowing just how true it was, but moved on from the matter and asked Alaric a question. A question that a few saw coming, especially her teammates and parents.

"Are those books that good?" Blake was curious about this book series, and wanted to know if it was a good. Judging from how her chibi self acted, Blake guessed that it must be pretty good.

Instead of giving her a straight forward answer, or even verbally telling her his own thoughts on it, Alaric went ahead and mentally read out the entirety of the first book of the Howling at the Moon book series in Blake's mind. In give or take a few seconds. Once he was done, Blake sat still for a moment before shaking her head, and asking the Keeper another question.

"Can I... have that book series later?"

"Sure," Alaric replied, a devious smile behind his blank mask. "If you still want it by the end of this viewing that is."

That ominous remark concerned Blake, but she resolved to still have the Howling at the Moon series. The first book was just as amazing as Chibi Blake said, maybe even more, and she wanted the rest of the books. Kali and Ghira smiled at their daughter, recalling her enthusiastic face whenever they went to a bookstore together, or when they presented her with a new book when she was younger.

"Um, what are they like?" Pyrrha asked Blake and Alaric, curious about the book because of Blake's reaction and how interesting the premise sounded to her.

 **"If you love him so much, why don't you marry him?" Ruby jokingly said to Blake, making finger-guns with her hands.**

 **"Don't be silly," Blake waved her teammate off, though, her tone change a second later and tackled Ruby. Standing over the red-hooded girl, Blake started to shove the book against Ruby, and frantically asked her. "But do you think he would at least go on a date with me? I mean, I'm his biggest fan."**

Okay, the audience were even more surprised by Chibi Blake's actions. She had was almost, or really was, in full fangirl mode, and it was straight up weird. Why? Because it was Blake, Blake was _never_ like this, as far as the audience were concerned at least. She was usually the quiet girl in class, with a nose in a book, or just sitting there getting her work done without too much fuss or noise. Seeing her like this was, as stated before, just straight up weird.

Still, could be worse.

"Uh, you wouldn't do... would you?" Sun questioned Blake. The girl turned and looked at him with a blank expression on her face, silently questioning whether or not he was serious in asking that question. Seeing her response, Sun scratched the back of his head and smile nervously at her.

"Not a smart mover there, monkey boy." Coco snorted, a few others shaking their heads at him.

 **"Ah! Yes, no, I don't know! Stop hitting me!" Ruby panickily responded, trying to push Blake off of her. Realising this, Blakke's eyes widened in realisation of what she was doing, but what she said next was not really what the audience would have expected.**

 **"Oh my gosh, you're right. I'm folding the pages!"**

 **The chibi cat faunus jumped away from Ruby, and tenderly straightened the book. Treating it as if it were a child or holy relic meant to be protected above all else. Blake then started to rapidly pant, her nerves appearing to get the better of her.**

 **"What if he thinks I'm weird. What if he hates my ears? This was a mistake. We should go."**

"Yeah. Kitty cat's acting like a real fangirl," Roman remarked at seeing Blake's behaviour. Earning looks of disapproval from a few other members of the audience.

 **"Relax, Blake! I'm sure he's just a regular person like you and me," Ruby attempted to reassure Blake.**

 **It was then that the two chibi huntresses-in-training noticed that the line had moved on, and had crowded around the table where the author sat. Sensing her opportunity to get her book signed by the author was nigh, Blake leapt over to the table and tried to get a glimpse of the author. However, her and the audience's view was obscured by the shadow people who were now starting to leave the table.**

Like the chibi version of herself onscreen, Blake was wondering just what the author looked like. After Alaric had mentally read to her the first book, she actually started to fantasise about just what the mysterious author looked like. She had no definite idea of what they were like, but she imagined a couple detail that she secretly wanted to see.

A young man a couple years older than herself, wearing a shirt that had a few of its top buttons undone so to show off a little bit of his chest. Short hair, preferably not red, with a bang or two that covering his face that he would sweep aside so that he could better look at her with piercing eyes of any shape or colour. It would be an extra bonus if they were a faunus, a cat faunus at that, definitely not a bull one.

They were probably nothing like that, but Blake could dream, couldn't she?

Alaric could see what Blake was thinking and resisted the urge to laugh. She was in for one hell of a surprise.

 **As the shadow people left, the audience could see only short bits of white and black here and there.**

 **"Wh-where is he?" Blake desperately asked Ruby after trying a bit.**

 **When the last shadows walked away from the table, Chibi Ruby and Blake, and the audience, were met with a very surprising sight. For sat at the table, wearing half-moon spectacles, was Zwei! On the table were a couple books, a pen, and beside it was a sign with the words '1 Tummy Rub Per Book Signed'.**

 **"Zwei?" Chibi Ruby exclaimed, surprised to see the family dog dog sitting at the table.**

The audience shared in Chibi Ruby's surprise, many of them unable to believe what they were seeing. But what they were seeing was truly there, whether they wanted to believe so or not

"Zwei?!" Ruby, Yang, Tai, and Qrow exclaimed. Just as surprised to see their family dog sitting at the table, and having apparently written a popular book series as well.

"Bark!" Said Zwei, whatever that meant no one could tell, but he sounded happy about it as far as they could tell.

"Oooh, that is very interesting." Penny looked on the TV screen, more fascinated by the improbable idea of a dog writing a book than surprised actually. The robot girl then turned to Ruby, and asked her an odd question. "Friend Ruby, do you think our universe's Zwei could write a book series?"

The red-hooded huntress did not get a chance to answer, for Emerald suddenly said something that caught her attention.

"Are you serious?! A dog wrote a book?"

"Hey, Zwei is not a dog! Zwei's the best dog in the universe!" Ruby defended Zwei, both the chibi and their one. For this, Zwei jumped off his chair, ran up to Ruby, and started to snuggle her. An act that was reciprocated by Ruby and Yang giving him tummy rubs, joined by Weiss a few seconds later.

"Well, your branch of universes anyway." Alaric added with a matter-of-factly tone to his voice. "There's plenty of other great dogs out there, but Zwei's a pretty good boy."

 **"Bark!" Zwei happily replied.**

 **Hearing Ruby's surprised word, then the familiar dog bark of Zwei, Blake turned back to the table and looked at the corgi. Rendered utterly speechless upon laying eyes on him.**

 **"No," Blake said, trying to deny what she was seeing right now. Unable to, Blake** **dropped her book and fleed the bookstore in a fit of despair, sobbing as she left.** **"Noooooo!"**

 **"On the bright side, I think I can get you a date!" Ruby cheekily called after the fleeing cat faunus. She then turned back to Zwei, and saw that he had a pipe in his mouth. "Man, that obedience school really went all out on you, huh?"**

 **Zwei barked in response, and blew three bubbles from his pipe.**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

Much of the audience laughed, a few still struggled to come to terms with the idea of a dog writing a book. After a minute, it was then that a few noticed that someone was a bit more quiet than usual, and had not said anything for a while.

"Uh, Blake?" Yang asked, noticing her partner had said or done anything in response to Zwei's reveal.

Looking to Blake, the audience saw that the cat faunus had a incredibly mortified expression on her face. Her eyes were wide and unblinking. Her mouth agape with horror, her lower jaw trembling ever so slightly. No outside stimulus could not break her out of this catatonic state. Not poking her repeatedly (Ren: "Nora, stop poking Blake"). Not the concerned voices of her parents. Not waving a freshly opened can of tuna or any other fishy delicacy under her nose. Not even Zwei giving unauthorised snuggles to Blake could did anything.

The other members of the audience could only guess at what was going on through Blake's head. They guessed she was horrified that the author Blake had been fantasising about was none other than the dog that terrified her.

The audience were half right.

Blake was not just horrified, she was broken. Her fantasised image of what the author may look like was shattered into a ten million tiny pieces, and crushed under the paws of that blasted corgi. Her newborn dream had been smothered by cruel reality before it could even take its first steps. Her world was a lie! A farce! A corgi!

While Blake was doing her melodramatic internal monologue, the audience had moved on, deciding to wait for her to recover on her own.

"So, that finally it?" Roman said, an amused smirk on his face as he watched Neo approach Blake with a permanent marker pen. However, he short criminal was blocked by Yang, who refused to let Neo come anywhere near Blake and write who knows what on her face.

"For now at least," Alaric responded. "We'll come back to this universe later, I got a few more to show you. Who might appear next, and what they'll do is something I'll leave you to think about."

With that, Alaric took out his remote again and started to prepare the next universe.

* * *

 **Right, hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

 **We'll come back to RWBY Chibi at a later chapter. I have a few more skits to show the audience in mind.**

 **Gonna do a List chapter soon, maybe after a couple more chapters.**

 **Anyways, I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	30. Vermintide

**Author's Note:**

 **After the enthusiastic requests from a guest in the reviews, you know who you are, no need to apologise, I decided to do this. Also helped that I was going over some Vermintide stuff when I saw the request, and was actually thinking of doing it anyway. Took a bit longer for me to get this done due to a few personal things coming up, nothing to worry about though.**

 **Anyway, next chapter's gonna be a List Chapter, where all the suggestions I'm interested in doing are listed down for all to see. As a first, if anyone has questions concerning this fanfiction, leave them in the reviews of this chapter or PM me, and I will try my best to answer them next chapter.**

 **If you feel like supporting me and this fanfiction even further, please consider checking out my P-atreon page (site still won't let me write P-atreon normally).**

 **Disclaimer: Warhammer belongs to Games Workshop, while Vermintide belongs to Fatshark.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'.**

* * *

 **Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide**

After a brief rest, and after having successfully brought Blake out of her catatonic state, the Keeper finished his preparations and turned towards his guests.

"Right, next universe is ready. Though, anyone here have a phobia of mice, rats, and other such rodents?" Alaric's questioned surprised the audience, and made them wonder just what this new universe he was going to make them see would be about.

Everyone shrugged at his question, with the exception of Port who tensed at the very mention of mice. While the ears of Kali and Blake, the latter of which had a blanket wrapped around her and a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, involuntarily perked up at the mention of mice.

"Okay then. Let us..." Alaric paused for dramatic effect, "... begin."

With that, he pressed the play button.

 **The TV screen came to life, and the audience were greeted by an aerial view of a town with a river cutting through the middle of it at night. The place was lit only by the warm light of indoor fires and the pale gaze of the moon above it.**

 **The camera quickly panned down to the dark streets of this town, which appeared old by the standards of the audience members from modern Remnant. Much of the town was made up of cold stone and wood, appearing much like the architecture from the Renaissance period. A lone rat nibbling on a discarded piece of food was the only living thing that could be seen in the street.**

"Tch, filthy creature." Winter muttered. She was, as you can guess from her reaction, not in any way fond of rats.

"Welcome to Ubersreik, one of the most important trade-towns of Reikland. The capital province of the Empire of Man," Alaric said to the audience.

"'Empire of Man'?" Ghira asked. The Chieftain of Menagerie seeing a similarity between this name, and that of the 'Imperium of Man' from the universe that insane man in silver armour showed them.

"Yes. One of the most powerful nations in this world. Founded by the legendary, and now deified, human warrior-chieftan, Sigmar." The Keeper explained. "It's goal is to protect humanity and its lands from threats such as Orcs, the Undead, the Forces of Chaos, and all others who would seek humanity's destruction or domination."

"Wait, 'Forces of Chaos'? Like the Chaos Gods?" Jaune asked, causing all of the audience to shudder at the memory of the Chaos Gods when the insane Kaldor Draigo had been with them.

"He showed you that version of them to you?" Alaric responded with alarm. Receiving affirmative nods, the Keeper frowned and shook his head before carrying on. "Ugh, yes, the Chaos Gods are here too. But in this universe they're far more serious! Far more... ach, whatever. Keep watching."

 **Suddenly, a hand shot out from the shadows, grabbed the rat, and pulled the rodent into the darkness. The sounds of the rat's desperate squeaks were cut off by the crunching sound of teeth biting through flesh, followed by that of someone, or something, chewing noisily.**

"Ew! Did someone just eat that rat?!" Nora retched as the chewing stopped, and the sound of the rat-eater swallowing their little snack came through the speakers a moment afterwards.

"That's disgusting! Who knows what turd-stained dunghole that thing's been in. And let's not talk about the diseases that might be crawling all over and in that thing." Coco added her own words of disgust. All of them unaware of just what the creature that had eaten the rat was.

 **From offscreen, a horse-drawn carriage clattered through the streets and pasted where the rat had just been.** **As the carriage navigated the streets of Ubersreik, dark shadows hiding amongst the rooftops watched it go by.**

 **After a short ride in the city, carriage stopped at the riverside, the two horses pulling the carriage neighing as they stopped. One of the doors of the carriage opened, and five figures walked out the carriage.**

 **The first was a man in the prime of his life, wearing plate armour over his torso and left arm decorated with the imagery of skulls, gryphons, and twin-tailed comets. Underneath that he wore a uniform of white and red, and on his back he carried a tall longsword. His black hair with dark-red tips was cut short, while a handlebar moustache covered his upper lip area. Their eyes a familiar silver.**

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Is that...?" Qrow abruptly spoke, looking at the man and then back at a certain silver-eyed huntress-in-training. The others in the audience also turned to Ruby, all of them seeing the similarities between her and the moustached man onscreen.

Ruby, who had popped a strawberry into her mouth, did not see what it was that Qrow, and everyone else in the audience, saw. She had an odd feeling, kinda like some sort of deja vu, but nothing really stuck out for her apart for the colour of his eyes and hair. When Ruby noticed that everyone had gone silent and were looking at her, she squirmed a little before asking everyone why they were looking at her.

"Uh, what's up?" Ruby awkwardly questioned the others in the audience.

"Uh, Ruby?" Weiss answered.

"Yes, Weiss?"

"That's you," the Schnee heiress informed her team leader. It took a moment for what Weiss had told Ruby to fully register, and another for her to realise the truth behind that statement. Ruby took it well actually, at least this version of her wasn't as weird as that half-naked and super ripped vampire version of Yang that the audience saw earlier.

"Oh," Ruby finally said after a silent pause. "Sooo, he's... uh... me?"

"Name's Rudolph Kruber. A professional soldier of the Empire," Alaric replied.

"Rudolph, huh?" Taiyang thought aloud, he then turned to Ruby and said. "Y'know, when me and Summer were coming up with your name while she was pregnant, she wanted to call you Rudolph if you turned out to be a boy. Rudolph Rose, can you imagine that?"

This revelation caused a few laughs from the other members of the audience, while Ruby groaned in annoyance. As soon as his guests piped down a little, Alaric continued on speaking, further explaining just who this alternate version of Ruby was.

"He fled life as a farmer when was young, and, after a while, became a Sergeant in command of a regiment of Swordsmen. A good and charismatic leader and man this one," Alaric told the audience, causing Ruby to perk up and listen intently. Glad that this alternate of her was not just a leader, but an apparently great one at that. "That was, until a Necromancer killed Rudolph's entire regiment right in front of him. Rudolph only surviving thanks to the self-sacrifice of one of his men."

That made the room turn as still as a graveyard. The news of what happened to Rudolph's regiment saddening many in the audience as they tried to imagine just how that could have affected the soldier.

"That must have been traumatising," Ironwood muttered to himself.

 _'Necromancy?'_ Salem thought to herself. Necromancy was a mere theory in her world, an idea of how their powers of magic might be somehow used. For many, the idea of necromancy was the idea of communicating with the dead to predict the future. Those of a darker mindset believed that necromancy would be the raising of the dead so that they may serve the living.

 **After him came a short individual who stood no taller than the first man's waist with an impressive beard. The colour of their hair was orange, with aqua coloured eyes. Their clothing was worn and looked as if it had seen much use out in the wilderness, a travelling pack was on his back. Underneath his rather civilian looking travel attire, he wore a glimmering shirt of chainmail, and among the items of his pack was a hammer and a weapon that looked like a mix of blunderbuss and musket rifle.**

"Is that...? Am I... a dwarf?" Nora asked Alaric, squinting hard at the dwarf and wondering if he was indeed her. They shared the same hair and eye colour, and he wielded a cool looking hammer, though not as cool as her Magnihild, it was still cool.

"Yep. Name's Thorsten Goreksson, an alternate version of you Nora. He's a Dwarf Ranger looking for a lost Dwarf Hold that may or may not exist," Alaric answered. Confirming Nora's suspicions, and earning a delighted cheer from the hyper-active girl.

"Huh. You know, you're showing us a lot of universes with Nora in them," Oscar pointed out. The truth behind what the young farmboy had said was not lost to the others in the audience, and they started to wonder why she had appeared quite often recently.

"Is that a problem?!" Nora swiftly turned around, and pretended to snap at him. However, the sheer suddenness of how Nora turned around startled the young boy, causing him to leap out of his chair, and fall to the ground.

"N-N-No! No, no, no, no, no! It's fine, I was just pointing something out." Oscar replied, sweat falling from his brow.

"Hahaha! I'm joking," Nora reassured Oscar as she helped him on his feet. The two went back to their seats, and turned back to the TV screen. Alaric was not done speaking, however, and decided to say one more thing before they resumed watching this universe.

"Because I think it's interesting to know, the Dwarfs have an unhealthy habit of pursuing grudges." The audience were not to perplexed by what the Keeper had said, but wondered why they would think that bit of information to be interesting. "Essentially, if someone offends a dwarf, a grudge is held against that person, their family, their descendants, and even their entire people in certain cases. The only way to erase that grudge is through paying a hefty amount of gold, or a substantial amount of blood."

Now the audience saw why their host had told them about the Dwarfs' habit of grudges. Though, they were unprepared for how far the Dwarfs' apparently took these grudges.

"That... must be the cause of quite a lot of, uh, complications." Oobleck stated, the history teacher being well aware of how grudges could be detrimental in all kinds of ways.

"Ohohoho, you have no idea." Alaric said with a mirthless chuckle.

 **A tall woman came next, wearing form-fitting clothes and armour of green cloth and brown leather. She wore the fur hide of a beast that covered both her shoulders and the top half of her back. A hood and mask obscured most of her facial features, but the audience could barely see that she had amber eyes and black hair.** **In her left hand she held a short bow, a quiver of arrows rested on her back, with a pair of long daggers at her sides.**

It was not obvious who this woman was, so Alaric went ahead and told them.

"That is you Miss Belladonna," Alaric said, pointing a thumb towards Blake. "She shares the same name as you. A Wood Elf sent away from her forest homeland on a mysterious mission after seeing something not meant for her eyes,"

"An elf, huh? Hm, not bad." Blake murmured to herself. "What was it she saw that warranted her being sent away from her homeland? And what is she like?"

Alaric paused before he could answer her, silently considering whether he should tell Blake what her alternate had seen. He shrugged, deciding it wouldn't be worth it, and answered her second question. Interested in seeing how the cat faunus would react to a version of her with a differing personality.

"Personality-wise, this version of you is a stuck-up bitch who sees everyone else here as clueless children." That surprised the audience, especially Blake, her family, Sun, and the rest of Team RWBY. "She's also teetering on a mental tightrope. If she falls, well, she'll make that ex-boyfriend of your's look like a calf in regards to violence and blood she'll shed."

This information made Blake clutch her mug of hot chocolate even tighter as a cold sensation ran up her spine. Adam had become increasingly violent in the months before she left the White Fang. That an alternate version of herself might become worse than him made Blake shudder with dread.

Beside Blake, Yang had wanted to point out how Alaric made this altrnate Blake sound like Weiss when they first entered Beacon. But seeing how the cat faunus had reacted to that second part made Yang pause, then drop the subject. She then decided to just wrap an arm around Blake's shoulders to comfort her, a gesture that Blake appreciated greatly.

 **The person who came next was a woman wearing a red minimalistic, robe decorated with yellow flames, a number of chains, and a collar made of metal and curiously resembling a brazier in its design. She was aged, in the mid-years of her life was the audience's guess, with lilac eyes and short blonde hair. Oddly, her hands appeared to be cuffed together by iron manacles.**

"Is that supposed to be me?" Yang inquired, pointing at the woman. The red-robed woman sure looked like a much older Yang, and in the blonde's opinion, this version of her had not aged well.

"Yeah, sure is. Yang Feugonasus. A Bright Wizard of the Empire, or a pyromancer as you can also refer to her as." Alaric answered her, the mention that she was some sort of wizard causing many in the audience to perk up and listen. Specifically Yang herself, Salem, Ozpin, and Cinder. "She spent a few years in the Bright Wizard College, but studying wasn't exactly something you were neither really into nor had the patience for. Oh, she and Rudolph aren't related in this universe, just so you know."

Those familiar with the Yang in the audience were not at all surprised at the mention that this alternate version of her had not been into studying. They also wondered if she set her college on fire.

"Huh, well that's cool!" Yang smirked at the information, liking how this version of herself was like herself in regards to studying. And being a Bright Wizard sounded badass. "She must know how to 'light' up parties, eh?"

No one laughed at Yang's pun, well, except for Taiyang who lightly chuckled when he heard it. Many shook their heads, some facepalmed, while a couple gave her a thumbs down. Neo threw an empty tub of ice cream at Yang's head. Meanwhile, Raven groaned and felt even more regret for leaving, if she had helped raise Yang her daughter would never have made these terrible puns.

Yang stuck her tongue at the rest of the audience, firm in her believe that her awful puns were actually good.

"Anyway, Feugonasus is addicted to using her magic, and she uses every opportunity to use them. As long as the circumstances are legal and help people at least," Alaric added. "And before any of you ask, Yang's wearing those cuffs because she's supposed to be on her way to a trial here in Ubersreik. However, that trial never will never happen."

That ominous last part of what Alaric had said raised quite a few eyebrows, but the audience chose to remain silent. Deciding to keep watching.

 **The final person to exited the carriage was a man wearing a weathered brown trench coat and a tall wide-brimmed hat. Their white hair was cut short underneath their hat. At his side was a slender rapier, and he carried a startling assortment of flintlock pistols, six at least. If one squinted hard enough, it appeared that his right eye had been replaced by an all white glass one.**

To plenty in the audience, this man's face looked like a moustache-less Jacque Schnee, though Alaric would go ahead and reveal the truth of the man's identity.

"This is Wulf Saltzpyre. Alternate male version of Weiss Schnee."

Weiss reacted fairly well at that information. The audience had met a female version of Jaune, and had seen male versions of Yang and Ruby. So this did not really faze her too much, though, the fact that this male version of herself looked like her father made her have mixed feelings about it.

"What's up with her get up? Especially that funny looking hat?" Qrow snorted. Sure this was supposed to be an alternate of Weiss, but he looked so alike to Jacque that Qrow felt like he wanted to punch him. Jacque had one of those punchable face's, in Qrow's opinion anyway.

"He's a Witch Hunter. Witch Hunters primarily focus on hunting down illegal practisers of magic in the Empire of Man, and are also called in to certain other threats to the Empire's stability and integrity. Usually, this is done by burning the accused on a stake," the Keeper quickly responded, eliciting a rather shocked reaction from the audience.

"So, what? They have the authority to burn just about anyone if they think they illegally practise magic?" Taiyang asked, disturbed and horrified by the very idea. What if the Witch Hunters burned innocent people to death?

"Yes," was Alaric's nonchalant answer.

The audience, shocked by what they had learnt, let the matter of the Witch Hunters' practises be, and continued watching. It was a cruel way to kill someone, burning a person at a stake, and they did not fully understand why the illegal practise of magic would warrant such action. Weiss, for her part, was shaken by the revelation that her alternate self in this universe was the executioner of such a terrible sentence.

 **"Ubersreik, haven't been back here in years." Rudolph remarked as he took a few steps away from the carriage. "It's a lot dirtier and smells more than I remember."**

 **"Well it's a lot quieter and emptier than I thought it would be, umgi." Thorsten huffed, shaking his head at the city's stonework. "Say, where's the night guards? They sleepin' on the job or something?"**

 **"Hmmm. A question I have been asking myself," Wulf grunted as he tried to peer down Ubersreik's dimly lit streets. Behind Wulf, he led Yang along by a chain connected to the shackles around her wrists.**

 **Over by Blake, the grip on her bow had tightened, and her eyes were watching every shadow. There was something not right here, and she could feel it.**

 **Moments after they exited the carriage that had brought them to Ubersreik, the group found a corpse. When they came closer to inspect it, the five saw that the corpse had been a member of Ubersreik's night watch judging from his apparel. His face was fixed in a look of terror, a bloody stab wound in his chest. Two rats sat on his face, nibbling away at him. Further down the street, the more sharp-eyed of the group could see two to three more corpses.**

"Agh, someone kill those rats!" Port yelped when he saw the rats, his hands reflexively reaching out for his weapon.

"Please calm down, Peter." Glynda sighed, well aware of his fear of mice and similar rodents. The man had almost shot a student who was in fact a mouse faunus when he espied their tail. That had been both a humorous and terrifying incident to watch.

"Hmmm, wonder what killed this guy." Mercury wondered aloud.

"I'm certain we'll find out soon enough," Emerald muttered as she popped a Turkish delight into her mouth.

 **"Dead, and not too long ago I reckon." Rudoph informed his companions after inspecting the dead man.**

 **Wulf turned from the body, and walked over to Yang. He produced a key from his coat, and undid the Bright Wizard's shackles. Once the iron cuffs were off her, Yang's hair rose and lit up with fire.**

 **"What are you doing, Saltzpyre?" Yang asked the Witch Hunter.**

 **"I do not like this situation, and I would rather have a Wizard of your skill aiding us if things take a drastic turn for the worse." Wulf said to Yang, and followed it up with a warning. "Do not make me regret this decision, Wizard."**

"Whoa. Why'd my hair just do that?" Yang asked Alaric. She doubted that it was something related to Aura of Semblance for Feugonasus was calm, and did not appear to be angry.

"Well, human Wizards are prone to undergoing physical changes due to their use of the Winds of Magic. The energy that all magic users use for their spells," Alaric explained, catching the attention of Ozpin, Cinder, and Salem. "Bright Wizards of the Empire, more often than not, find that their hair turns to fire because of their extensive use of Aqshy, the Red Wind of Fire."

"Huh, alright then." Yang hummed to herself, okay with the explanation provided by the Keeper.

"Fascinating," Salem mumbled to herself. The people of her world frequently used magic, but its usage did not cause a physical change like it did in this world. And learning that the use of magic was dependant on a energy called the 'Winds of Magic', instead of an innate power present in everyone, intrigued her. She and several others in the audience were curious of how else magic could affect its users.

 **"Look out!" Blake called to her companions as she turned, notched an arrow to her bow, and fired up at one of the rooftops overlooking their position. The arrow flew towards one of the dark shadows that had followed their carriage and sunk deep into its chest. The shadow fell to the ground, landing nearly on top of Thorsten, revealing a shocking creature.**

 **The shadow was a short bipedal rat-like creature covered in brown fur with red eyes that glowed with malice. It was swathed in a dirty cloth jerkin and pants, a crude jagged knife was clutched in its cold dead hands.**

"What the heck is that?!" Roman said, he and everyone else in the audience were visibly startled by the creature's appearance.

"Skaven, or ratmen. A literal plague on this world that lives underneath the surface-dwelling civilisations of the world. If they weren't constantly stabbing each other in the back, they would have taken over the world centuries ago." Alaric explained.

Many people in the audience were aghast at the knowledge that such creatures could be such a threat to the world. The Grimm were kept at bay by mankind's inventiveness and tenacious desire to survive. That the Skaven were only held back by infighting caused a chill to run up the spines of many members of the audience.

"Thank goodness these things do not exist in our world," Ironwood whispered to Ozpin. The immortal man nodded, in response. Their world's Salem and the Grimm were already a massive challenge to face, the Skaven would turn the current situation on Remnant into a nightmare.

 **"Skaven!" Thorsten yelled, drawing his hammer from his back.**

 **Seconds after the body had fallen, the city streets around the five lit up with the cries and squeaks of dozens of ratmen. The air filling with the distinct scent of the Skaven's musk of war. Soon, Skaven poured in from every direction, wicked blades drawn and red eyes filled with the intent to kill.**

 **"Kill-kill! Die-die!" One Skaven screeched as it ran at Rudolph, a dagger raised high over its head.**

 **Rudolph drew out his longsword and stabbed it into the ratman's throat, before pulling it free and slashing the blade in an upwards arch. Slicing open the chest and neck of another Skaven.** **More Skaven came rushing towards the group, but Rudolph stood his ground, and swung and stabbed his longsword here and there. Every slash and thrust gutting a Skaven or lopping off their heads.**

"Hahaha! Yes, slay those filthy creatures!" Port roared, glad that these rat-creatures were getting what they deserved in his opinion. All those tails still agitated him.

"Yeah! Go, uh, other me!" Ruby cheered her alternate self after taking a moment to consider what to say.

Over by Zwei, the little corgi growled at the horde of Skaven, while Blake and Kali's pupil's turned to cat-like slits at the sight of some many ratmen. It was just an instinctual reaction to seeing vermin. Large bipedal vermin that were at least half a man's height, but still vermin.

 **Over by Wulf, three Skaven had dropped from the rooftops and tried to kill him. He unholstered a pistol and fired at one Skaven point-blank in the face, before turning, drawing out another pistol, and shooting the other. Drawing out another pistol, he turned and fired at the third.**

 **Wulf then brought out his rapier and took part in the brutal melee. The steel of his rapier's blade flashing as it was thrust into the hearts and throats of the nearest Skaven with admirable precision.**

"Hmmm, impressive." Weiss muttered to herself. Despite her earlier thoughts on Wulf, she had to admit that the skill he displayed with his pistols and rapier was something she could admire. Winter also looked approvingly at Wulf's combat skills, and nodded as she watched the older male version of her sister smite those dirty ratmen.

 **Blake had set aside her bow, and drew out her twin daggers. With the grace and speed that only an elf could achieve, Blake leapt off a nearby barrel and jumped on one of the Skaven. The Wood Elf stabbed one dagger into the skull of a ratman, before spinning and slashing away at another in a matter of seconds.**

 **Moving on from these two kills, Blake was constantly moving. Killing Skaven in an awing display of elven agility and grace.**

"Eh, show off." Roman rolled his eyes at the way Elf Blake fought, believing all that jumping and spinning was rather over the top and a waste of time and energy.

Blake glared at Roman, the cat faunus was tempted to splash her hot chocolate in his face. Or his crotch, but that would be a lowblow on her part.

 _Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it,_ Alaric's voice suddenly rang through Blake's mind. His voice sinister and old. Blake looked towards Alaric, the Keeper was looking back at her and nodding his head, encouraging Blake to go through with it. The cat faunus shook her head in response, causing the Keeper to slump his shoulders and turn back towards the TV screen.

 **One Skaven was quick enough to get past Rudolph, narrowly avoiding the swing of his blade, and ran at Thorsten. To the surprise of the audience, Thorsten was laughing jovially through the entire affair, and was still laughing when he brought his hammer down and crushed the Skaven's head in one swing.**

"Well, he's certainly enjoying himself," Pyrrha stated as she watched the Dwarf swat aside another Skaven. The head of his hammer slamming into the side of the ratman's head, knocking it off its feet, and sending it flying into another of its vile kin.

"Hahaha! Go Thorsten!" Nora cheered her Dwarf self on, wishing to see him break the legs of every single Skaven before him. Beside her, Ren carefully eyed Nora, a cord of rope in his hands.

Why did Ren have some rope? It was in case Nora went over the top, or became too excited, and needed restraining. Alaric had been kind enough to provide the rope, and reassured him that the rope would keep Nora still no matter what.

"Yeah, the Dwarfs and Skaven have been at war with each other for centuries. Only the Orcs are more hated by the Dwarfs," Alaric said, explaining the enthusiasm that Thorsten displayed as he dispatched Skaven after Skaven. Though, the mention of Orcs raised a few more eyebrows in the audience.

"'Orcs'?" Salem asked.

"Don't worry about it, just keep watching." Alaric waved the woman from Remnant's ancient past off, dismissing her question. That was a whole bag of cats he would open at a later time, if ever.

 **Yang, meanwhile, hung back from the front of the fighting and provided fire support. She now wielded a magical staff that was designed to resembled a torch, and was casing fireballs at any Skaven that got past or endangered the others. Sometimes, she would pick off the odd Skaven that appeared larger than their brethren.** **If a Skaven got too close for comfort, Yang cast another spell, summoning a sword made of fire in her free hand, and quickly smote down those few Skaven.**

 **With every spell that Yang cast, the air, already rank with the smell of gunpowder, blood, and Skaven musk, the stench of charred and burning ratman flesh was added to the mix. An elated smile on her face with each spell she cast, and every Skaven consumed by her flames.**

"Okay, Yang likey," Yang stated as she witnessed the fiery carnage her alternate self unleashed. The rest of Team RWBY, Team JNPR, Taiyang, and Qrow sent Yang worried looks. If she ever got powers like those that Feugonasus used, her destructive potential, especially in wooden structures, would be terrifying.

"This is quite some magic," Cinder murmured. As admirable as it was, Cinder felt that the magic that Feugonasus performed was somewhat... lacking, that it was not the full extent or potential of what magic in this world was capable of. There must be other forms of magic, and she inferred that there were other Colleges and Winds of Magic that the people of this world could learn and draw from.

Raven, meanwhile, looked on with intrigue at how the alternate version of her daughter was able to summon a fiery sword. It reminded her of her own powers as the Spring Maiden, for she was able to create create weapons out of thin air. To be honest, such a power could be considered the least of the magical powers at her disposal, and she supposed the same could be said for Yang Feugonasus.

"Why isn't there anyone coming to their aid? People must being hearing the commotion their fight is making," Taiyang pointed out. He raised a good point, and the audience turned to Alaric for an answer. Alaric noted this and rolled his eyes at how he needed to explain more things to them.

"Stabby-stabby. Killy-killy" the Keeper answer while lazily making a stabbing gesture. It took a moment for the audience to pick up on what he was implying, but when they did, they awkwardly pulled on their collars.

No one would come to the group's aid, because the Skaven had likely killed everyone in Ubersreik. The lights in the houses were probably a facade to create an illusion of everything being normal to people entering or some distance away from the town.

 **"Hahaha! Come on thaggoraki! By my beard, I'll cut you all down like elgi trees!" Thorsten jeered at the oncoming hordes of Skaven as he swung his hammer a Skaven's chest, crushing its ribcage and rupturing its internal organs. Blake sent him an icy look, before turning back to the Skaven and stabbing one of her daggers into the side of one ratman's neck.**

"What did he say? I understood most of what he said, but not, uh, those two words," Neptune asked. He and the rest of audience wondering just what the words 'thaggoraki' and elgi' meant.

"'Thaggoraki' is the Dwarf word for 'Skaven', it also means 'assassin' and 'footpad'. Elgi' is Dwarf for 'Elf'," Alaric explained to Neptune and the others..

"Uh huh," Emerald muttered, but a new question bloomed in her mind. "Why'd he say elf trees then?"

"Oh yeah... that. Dwarfs and Elves do _not_ get along in this world. They tend to not get along in many universes, but, in this branch of universes, *whistle* oh boy it is not pretty." Alaric said with a long whistle.

"What do you mean?" Kali asked. During the times she had read to and with her daughter, and on her own, the cat faunus mother found that Elves and Dwarfs tended to be depicted as less than friendly to each other. But the way Alaric was acting made her think that their relations in this universe might be far worse.

"Uh, this is a simplified version of how it happened." The Keeper replied, shifting in his seat to get in a more comfortable position. "The Elves and Dwarfs used to be allies. The Elves had a massive civil war and split into two groups, the High Elves and Dark Elves. The Dark Elves, hating everyone, came up with a plan to immensely screw over their High Elf kin. They disguised themselves as High Elves, killed some Dwarfs and stole their gold. The Dwarfs got angry, and asked the High Elf Phoenix King what the hell was going on, for they were unaware of the Dark Elves' existence."

"Being a pompous arsehole, the reigning Phoenix King shaved the Dwarf ambassador's beard, a major insult in Dwarf culture. After that, the Dwarfs declared war on the High Elves, the two fought each other for years. In the aftermath, the High Elves were forced to retreat back to their island home, those that refused became the Wood Elves, and the Dwarfs lost several of their Holds after other enemies attacked them due to a major decrease in military manpower. So yeah, you can understand why the two wouldn't get along with each other."

"How terrible," Yatsuhashi said with a saddened expression on his face.

"A war started because of a shaved beard," Ooblecked muttered in disbelief. He understood that there were far more factors involved, but that the Dwarfs began a costly war with the High Elves, and that the High Elves incited the Dwarfs to war through a cultural insult, made the history professor shake his head in despair.

 **"For Sigmar! For the Empire!" Rudolph bellowed as he slashed the arm off a Skaven, following that up with a downward swing that split the creature's head in two.**

 **Suddenly, a polearm with two metal hooks at the tip snapped around Rudolph's neck, dragged him to the ground, and pulled the soldier away from the others. The wielder of the polearm was a cackling Skaven that was taller and covered in more cloth than the regular Skaven that were rushing at the group. With Rudolph trapped in its polearm's hooks, the Skaven started to drag into the shadows of a nearby alleyway.**

"Oh no! Someone do something, quick!" Ruby yelped as she watched Rudolph struggle to free himself.

 **The crack of a pistol firing slit the air, and the Skaven's head snapped backwards as a lead ball penetrated its skull right between its eyes. Wulf jogged over to Rudolph, a pistol with a smoking barrel in their hand, helped free the soldier from the hooked polearm, and pulled Rudolph onto his feet by their arm.**

 **"Thank you, sir!" Rudolph expressed their gratitude to the Witch Hunter.**

 **"Do not thank me just yet, Kruber. Sigmar and the Empire still has a need of you and your skills," Wulf responded before turning away from Rudolph, and returning to the fight going on around them.**

Ruby was thankful that Rudolph was saved, and was glad that it was Weiss' scary-looking male counterpart in this universe that saved him. She made to hug Weiss, but was stopped by the Schnee heiress who used both arms to keep Ruby off of her.

"Thank goodness. Who knows what could have happened to him," Pyrrha sighed.

"Eternal servitude as a slave. Becoming food for the Skaven. Being used as a test subject for Skaven contraptions and weapons. Yeah, never be captured alive by the Skaven," Alaric said, listing off a few of the fates that awaited those unfortunate enough to be caught by the vile Skaven. In response, most of the audience shuddered at the information that he had imparted to them. As if the Skaven couldn't get any worse than they already were.

What next? The Skaven knew how to create a bomb that could blow up entire cities?

The Keeper remained silent and resisted the urge to tell them about the Doomsphere. The thing had the destructive potential equal or greater than that of an Atomic Bomb. Not that the people of Remnant would know what an Atomic Bomb was, but it was best to not mention it. Not yet at least.

 **"This is quite the bind we've found ourselves in, isn't it darlings?" Yang yelled over to the others as she seared the very flesh off of a black clad Skaven that had leapt from at her. Its screeches and the gush of flames coming from her hand exciting her in a way nothing else could.**

 **"Kill-kill them!" A larger and more well armed Skaven with black fur, and wearing an equivalent of plate armour, shouted over the chaos. Behind him was a group of Skaven of similar size and armament as him. "Kill-slay no-furs!"**

"Hmmm, these ones look tougher." Ren thoughtfully muttered to himself. These Skaven looked as if they might be more dangerous and greater threats to the group of five than the rest.

"Eh, these rats have got nothing on those five." Jaune stated, confident in the alternate versions of Team RWBY and Nora. They survived against a horde of Skaven numbering in the dozens, receiving only a few light cuts and non-fatal wounds to show for it. The blonde huntsman-in-training, and several other audience members, was sure they could take these new bunch of Skaven on.

 **The group of five stood their ground in the face of the armoured Skaven, though, they were more careful when confronting them. Their armour and weapons, though cruder in make when contrasted to that made by Humans, Elves, and Dwarfs, they could still turn blades and cut through flesh. But still, the group resolved to see them die like the other Skaven they had killed.**

 **Blake, having just killed another Skaven with a quick stab in its heart, quickly took out her bow and shot one of the armoured Skaven in its exposed face, piercing its skull. She then returned to using her daggers, weaving through the Skavens' attacks and slashing open and stabbing at their unarmoured body parts.**

 **In a similar vein, Wulf took out a pistol with his free hand and shot another armoured Skaven.** **The lead bullet violently tearing into its jaw caused it too fall, and clutch the wound with both hands. The ratman disappeared as more Skaven rushed over it, the increasing number of Skaven dead made their spirits quake, but they still charged at the five.**

 **Rudolph and Thorsten met the armoured Skaven head-on. Rudolph parrying and blocking the Skaven's swords, spears, and halberds, before going on to thrust his longsword's blade into their exposed faces or into the joints between their armour. Meanwhile, Thorsten continued to swing his hammer, the weapon crushing and leaving large dents in the Skaven's crude plate armour.**

 **More fireballs shot from Yang's hand, the Bright Wizard preferring not to get too close to these new Skaven. The Skaven's armour providing a small measure of protection against the fiery projectiles, but Yang would turn their armour against them. But the metal plates that made up their armour would turn searing hot, and burn the fur and skin of the Skaven wearing the armour. Making many Skaven screech in pain as their own means of protection became almost unbearable to wear due to how hot the metal plate became.**

Jaune's words proved true, and the motley group of five were able to hold their own against the armoured Skaven, and were able to slay most of the Skaven. The audience felt no sympathy for the Skaven as they were cut down one by one, they looked and sounded absolutely horrid to them.

"Haha, go Dwarf-me!" Nora cried as she watched Thorsten cave a Skaven's skull in with another swing of his hammer, a wide toothy smile on her face. She jumped when she saw a Skaven bashed Thorsten across the face with its shield, but continued to smile when the dwarf broke his assailants leg then proceed to destroy the creature's skull. Again, Ren was still on guard beside her, the rope in his hands ready if he ever needed to restrain Nora.

"Whoo, look at other me go!" Ruby whooped as she watched Rudolph stand tall against the Skaven.

"Please calm down, Ruby." Weiss admonished her team leader. She enjoyed how Wulf was able to dispatch these new Skaven, but her attitude towards him was still marred by the knowledge of the terrible duties that the Witch Hunter was meant to and had performed.

Blake was silent, and was assessing her counterpart onscreen. Her alternate had been largely quiet throughout the fight, only letting out grunts and a couple cries from behind her mask. She was also quick and acrobatic, very much like her actually.

"Heh, I think those rats are finding other me to be too 'hot' to handle. Eh, eh?" Yang said, trying to squeeze a laugh out of her fellow audience members with what she thought to be a clever quip. Everyone else disagreed and ignored her. Yang frowned at them and crossed her arms, absolutely certain that pun of hers was indeed funny.

"An admirable show, though I do wish we could see something with a little less to no violence whatsoever." Ironwood said, his words directed to Alaric. It was nice to see the struggles of others, and how those people overcame them. But it could get a bit tiresome watching all these fights. The Altesian general wanted to see a world at peace, or at the very least, one where people were not constantly at each other's throats.

"Eh, fine. I'll try looking for one like that to show you next," the Keeper shrugged. Whether he would stick to his word, the audience would just have to wait.

 **Seeing most of their best warriors slain, many smaller Skaven started to retreat. The only ones that remained were those that were already engaged in combat with the five warriors, those too wounded to flee, or those too lost in a battle-frenzy to consider the idea of retreating.**

 **From an alleyway a short distance behind the group of five, a human figure peaked out and urgently waved over to them. He wore a white shirt, a dark waistcoat and pants, and bore no weapons to speak of. The hair on top of his head and handlebar moustache was black in colour, his skin tanned, and his eyes the colour of hazel.**

 **"Oi! Down here!" The man shouted to them in a familiar voice.**

"Huh, is that... alright then." Oscar said, surprised by who the man was. Though he was older, taller, and had a moustache over his face, the young farmboy knew who the man was. It was indeed him.

"Moustache? I don't know, I say you look better without a moustache." Ruby said to the young boy.

"Uh, okay. Thanks," the farmboy meekly replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. He always felt awkward whenever he appeared onscreen, and whenever he interacted with the huntsmen and huntresses present.

 **Knowing that they** **could n** **ot hold out against the Skaven forever, the group followed after Qrow. Rudolph taking the lead, with Thorsten right behind him. Wulf, Yang, and Blake hung back for a moment.**

 **Yang reached her free hand into the flames of her staff and drew out the flames, a smile on her face as she readied another spell.** **Once it was prepared, Yang thrust her hand out towards the group of Skaven rushing at them. A massive wave of flame shooting forth from Yang's hand and enveloping the creatures, immolating them in an instant.**

"Damn, this is great." Yang smiled as she watched the Bright Wizard cackle as she blasted the Skaven away.

"Just so you know Yang, this version of you is holding back. The more powerful spells, such as Conflagration of Doom, Magma Storm, and the Burning Head, are not suitable for urban combat." Alaric told his guests. They had a feeling that she was, but these spells sounded interesting and destructive. Possibly _very_ destructive.

"Okay, I don't know what those do, but they sound awesome!" Sun stated, a few others in the audience expressed their agreement with his words.

"Hm, I wonder what other Wizards in this universe can do." Ozpin wondered aloud. Like Salem and Cinder, he was rather intrigued by the powers and practises of magic in this world, but also pondered on the possible dangers of its usage. Alaric had mentioned that usage of Magic could alter someone physically, the audience need only look to Fuegonasus to see that, yet the Beacon Headmaster felt that there was more to it than just alterations to a person's appearance.

The Keeper didn't say anything, but Ozpin just had this feeling that there were dangers to the usage of Magic in this universe.

 **As the group retreated into the alleyway, something came thundering down the street and leapt over the flames. The thing was a hulking Skaven warbeast that stood taller than two men, and was covered in muscles and stitches. It roared at the group and charged at them.**

"What the hell is that?!" Mercury blurted in alarm. This Skaven abomination reminded many in the audience of a Beringel type Grimm in regards to its large physical appearance. All one had to do was replace the rat head with a gorilla's, remove its fur and short tail, and add the usual bone plates, markings, and black flesh of the Grimm, and this thing would be a Beringel.

"Rat Ogre. The result of a _lot_ of Skaven experimentation on less than fortunate members of their society." The Keeper responded. "I'll spare you the details, just know that the process to make these things is painful. _Very_ painful."

"'Experimentation'?" Ironwood questioned. The sight of the Rat Ogre disgusted him, and reminded Ironwood of a grotesque monster stitched together by a scientist from a book he read. He would admit that he had authorised a fair few experiments of questionable nature, but the Skavens' experiments were something else altogether. The Rat Ogre being evidence of that.

It seemed like the more the audience learned about the Skaven, the more they felt like grabbing a flamethrower and torching the vile creatures.

Over by Port, the Grimm Studies professor had jumped up in alarm, and was currently holding onto Oobleck for dear life. Oobleck looked blankly at his friend and colleague, going on to shake his head at Port. At least this time his reaction was understandable, for he too was rather shocked by the Rat Ogre's appearance.

 **"Quick! Down this alley!" Wulf cried, firing a shot from his pistol at the Rat Ogre before retreating into the alleyway. Yang followed after him, while Blake drew out her bow and loosed an arrow at the Rat Ogre.**

 **The arrow flew, and struck it right in the back of its mouth. The arrow did not kill the beast, and it just kept charging towards the group. Blake fell back, and disappeared into the alleyway after her companions. The Rat Ogre tried to ram its gargantuan frame into the alley, but it was too large, and let out a roar of frustration after the five warriors.**

 **The group of five, led on by Oscar, navigated their way through the tight alleyways of Ubersreik. As they did, Thorsten broke into song as they ran.**

 **"Where did we come from? Over the mountains! Where are we going? Over the mountains! Hahaha!" Thorsten jovially sang at the top of his lungs.**

 **"Promise me, mayflies, that you'll kill me if he sings one more blasted song," Blake grumbled to the others as they hurried through the streets.**

"Huh, the tune sounds like one from your drunk songs Qrow." Taiyang remarked to Qrow, nudging his brother-in-law's side with an elbow as he spoke.

"Hey, stop bringing that up!" Qrow growled, the man did not like being reminded of how he sang while drunk. Why did people have to bring it up from time to time?

"Yeah, it does." Raven unexpectedly spoke up, earning a baleful glare from Qrow. "You were drunk after a party in Beacon, and was able to get control of the intercom system. Heh, I think I have a recording of it somewhere."

"Don't ever bring that up again!" Qrow shot at his sister. Why did people keep recordings of when he sang while drunk? Tai was the first to do it, then Raven, then Summer, after that almost everyone did it. Even Ozpin had made recordings of the times he sang while drunk. Qrow needed to find those recordings and destroy them, that way people might stop bringing his drunken singing up.

 **After a short journey through the winding alleys and streets of Ubersreik, being ambushed by a pack or lone Skaven from time to time, the group arrived at a street with a stagecoach waiting for them. Waiting for them was a coach by a short old woman in dark blue, with dark skin, silvery-white hair, an eyepatch worn over her right eye, and her good left eye the colour of silver. Around the coach were a dozen dead Skaven, including a Rat Ogre.**

 **"Ah, what took you so long?" The old woman questioned Oscar in a rough accent, setting aside a walking stick and taking up the reins. "I had to take care of some uninvited guests while I waited for you. Next time, do not keep an old woman waiting."**

"Is she that Maria woman?" Glynda asked. Her voice was different, and she was a lot older, but the audience sensed that she and the Maria woman from the Guardian universe were the same.

"Yeah. Here she is Maria Pimenova, a woman from Kislev (essentially Russia), and a formidable wizard in her own right. Can't say much else about her," Alaric replied.

 _'A Silver Eyes,'_ Ozpin thought to himself. This Maria woman, was she a Silver-Eyed Warrior in their own universe? He had his network of agents throughout Remnant keeping an eye out for anyone who bore Silver-Eyes whilst they went about their duties. The potential of one who knew how to use and had complete control of their innate powers was a desperately needed resource in the war against Salem and the Grimm.

He did not recall ever receiving a report of a woman named Maria with Silver Eyes. Was she dead? Had she been killed like so many other Silver-Eyed Warriors before Ozpin's agents could have discovered her? In the possibility that Maria was alive, where was she?

 **"Pipe your gob, Maria. Quick, get inside!" Oscar ordered the five warriors as he climbed up beside Maria.**

 **The group of five hesitated for a moment, but the sound of rushing feet and chittering voices behind them forced them to get in the coach. Once they were all inside and the coach's door shut, Maria shook the reins and drove the horses forward. And just in time too.**

 **Piling through the alleyway the group had come from, packs of Skaven came running after the coach. Others too came from adjacent streets, a few leaping from rooftops, and a couple burst out of sewer grates. The Rat Ogre from before also appeared, stampedeing its way through its smaller Skaven cousins as it chased after them. But the group's coach had already covered a good distance, and the Skaven soon disappeared from view.**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

"That was a close one," Velvet sighed in relief. Glad that the group was able to get away in time.

"Well thank goodness that's over. I couldn't stand another second looking at those freaky things," Neptune added, referring to the Skaven. The young man was sure that he'd now have nightmares of those verminous creatures.

"So, what next have you got in store for us?" Ozpin asked Alaric.

"Hm, not sure really. I'll think of something," Alaric shrugged. He took out his remote but did not go on to press any of its buttons. Instead, the Keeper just stared at it and thumbed his masked chin as he thought on what he would show next. Guessing they had time to themselves for a bit, the audience went on to do their own thing.

The teams of huntsmen and huntresses-in-training gathered together and chatted away. The parents present decided to converse with one another, Qrow dragging Raven into the conversation, the bandit chief resisting and protesting as he did. Ozpin and his cabal whispered to each other, especially in regards to Maria. Cinder and her lackeys whispered amongst themselves as well. Roman, Neo, and Zwei went on to play cards again. Meanwhile, Salem and Oscar, feeling slightly left out, sat together and conversed with one another.

None of the audience knew how long it would take for Alaric to decide on what to show them next, so they might as well make the most of the situation and have a bit of a breather.

* * *

 **Right, that's another chapter done.**

 **Like I said in the initial Author's Note, next chapter will be a List Chapter. Don't know what to do after that, but I want it to be one where people aren't fighting for their lives or anything like that.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	31. List Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

 **Allow me to express my thanks to all those who have shown their support for this fanfiction. By the time I'm writing this, the favourite count has 688 people, while the number of follows is 821. You all have my gratitude, and I will endeavour to reciprocate your support by continuing to provide you entertaining chapters in this fanfic.**

 **Understand that List Chapters is just a way for me to help keep track of the ideas for future chapters, and to show you, the readers, what I _may_ do later. There is no guarantee that I will do them. You can say which ones you want to see and suggest specific events from the choices below.**

 **Not much else I think I can say to you right now.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**

* * *

 **Chapters List:**

 **In-progress:**

Please note, 'in-progress' does not mean it will be done soon, nor will it be the next chapter, neither does it guarantee that I will finish and publish them.

\- A different fate (Reader Request) - This has been in the works for a long while, but it'll only be published after I've done 'The Lost Fable' episode of Ruby. There's a special reason as to why that's so.

\- Destiny: Regicide - This is going to be a long one, and I'm only two-fifths done with it, at best. So, it will be a while before this gets published. And I have other ideas in mind before I finish this.

\- Edelweiss Corsairs (Original Idea) - Another thing I've been working on for a bit, but I never got to finish this because of other chapters and because I had trouble with making the plot flow together. I got the ideas for the characters fixed, its just the in-universe story itself. Like I said before, inspiration for this came from Storm Hawks, and after seeing Atlas, I've gotten a few more ideas for it.

\- RWBY: MMORPG (Original Request) - Inspiration for this is primarily taken from Overlord, Final Fantasy XIV, Ready Player One, and World of Warcraft. Particularly the first three.

 **My Original Ideas:**

\- Auric Weapons - Instead of Semblances, the people of Remnant can use their Aura to make weapons.

\- Apotheosis - Apotheosis. Definition; the highest point in the development of something, or the elevation of someone to divine status.

\- Devil on my shoulder - It isn't easy living with a literal devil on your shoulder. A little bastard constantly whispering in your ear. What could be worse than that? Having none, but being able to see and interact with everyone else's.

\- Hunter of Huntsmen - What if a certain Huntress followed a different calling? Instead of being famous for killing Grimm, she earned infamy for hunting the most dangerous prey in all of Remnant. Her fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses.

\- The Moon/Jade Rabbit - It's alright to keep a few secrets. But one of the secrets Velvet is keeping is that she is one of Remnant's premier assassins.

 **Personal Ideas:**

\- Alien vs Predator

\- Crysis 2/3

\- D-Frag

\- Endless Space 2 Faction Trailers

\- For Honor

\- G.I Joe: Resolute - Either Cobra Commander scenes, or the fight and flashback scene between Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow

\- Haloid - I've got to do this one day. For those who don't know what this is, it's an animation made by Monty Oum where Master Chief and Samus Aran fight each other, then the two team up against an army of Covenant. Someone made a remastered version of it recently, I suggest you check it out.

\- Horizon Zero Dawn

\- Lord of the Rings

\- Lost Planet 2

\- RWBY: V6 C3, The Lost Fable

\- Sengoku Basara

\- The Simpsons - Cape Feare or Homer's Barbershop Quartet, these two are among my favourite Simpsons' episodes. They're old ones, so don't worry about them being like the newer episodes that I hear people griping on about.

\- Warhammer 40,000 - There's so much stuff to choose from, and as a fan of 40K, that makes it really difficult. Should I do Helsreach? Astartes? Another episode of TTS? The Fall of the Eldar? Something else?

\- Walking with Dinosaurs: Sea Monsters - Thought it would be interesting to show the audience Earth's prehistoric past.

 **Reader Suggestions:**

\- Asura's Wrath

\- Attack on Titan

\- Avatar: The Last Airbender

\- Avengers Infinity War

\- Battlefield 1 - One of the 'War Stories'.

\- Berserk

\- Big Hero 6

\- Bioshock - Either the first one or Infinite.

\- Bloodborne

\- Borderlands

\- Code Geass

\- Codename Kids Next Door

\- Cyberpunk 2077

\- Dark Souls

\- Darksiders

\- Deadpool

\- Dead Space

\- Destiny 2 - My plan, when I get to this, is that I do the 'Homecoming' mission. Then the breakout in the Prison of Elders at the start of Forsaken.

\- Devil May Cry 5

\- Dishonored

\- Dragonball Z

\- Elfen Lied

\- Far Cry 4 - The start where Pagan Min is introduced. Any of you feel like having some crab Rangoon?

\- Fate - Zero, Unlimited Blade, Apocrypha

\- Fairy Tail

\- Final Fantasy 7 & 15

\- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

\- Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

\- Game of Thrones - Not really a fan of GoT, and I haven't watched a single episode, but I am aware of what's going on. Even read some of the books. I might do it, but not the Red Wedding, that's been done.

\- Ghost in the Shell

\- Gintama

\- Godzilla

\- Goblin Slayer

\- Gundam

\- Halo - Either something from the first three games, Reach, or those Halo Legends stuff.

\- Highschool DXD

\- How To Survive A Harem Anime - Haven't watched this, but it sounds... interesting.

\- How To Train Your Dragon

\- Hunchback of Notre Dame - Hellfire Song

\- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

\- James Bond - I want to do the Q-boat chase from 'The World Is Not Enough'.

\- Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

\- JT Machinima

\- Jurassic Park or Jurassic World

\- Kamen Rider

\- Key and Peele

\- Killzone

\- Kingdom Hearts

\- League of Legends - A cinematic trailer or that POP/STARS trailer they did.

\- Madness Combat

\- Mass Effect

\- Metal Gear Solid

\- Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

\- Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

\- Metro 2033 Last Light or Exodus

\- Miracle of Sound

\- Mission Impossible

\- Monster Hunter

\- Monsters Inc

\- My Hero Academia

\- Mystery Skull

\- One Piece

\- One Punch Man

\- Overwatch

\- Pacific Rim

\- Persona 5

\- Pirates of the Caribbean

\- Portal 2

\- Prince of Egypt - Deliver Us _and_ The Plagues song. It would be criminal of me to do only one.

\- Prototype 2

\- Ready Player One

\- Red Dead Redemption 2

\- Resident Evil 2

\- RWBY Chibi

\- Samurai Jack - Jack and the Scotsman

\- Seven Deadly Sins

\- Shadow of Mordor

\- Skyrim

\- Spider Man

\- Star Wars - Something from the movies, the Clone Wars cartoon, or that awesome 2003 cartoon.

\- Star Craft Cinematics

\- Super Smash Bros World of Light Trailer

\- Soul Eater

\- SWTOR

\- Team Fortress 2

\- Teen Titans

\- Templin Institute

\- Terminator

\- Titanfall

\- Tom Clancy - Rainbow Six, Ghost Recon, or Splinter Cell

\- Total War Warhammer Faction Trailers

\- Transformers

\- Undertale

\- Valiant Hearts: The Great War

\- Venture Bros

\- Voltron Legendary Defenders

\- Warframe

\- Witcher 3

\- Wilford 'Motherloving' Warfstache

\- Wonder Woman

\- World of Warcraft Cinematics

\- Yugioh

\- [NAME PENDING] - A few people requested things such as characters being different in things such as their personality and morals. Don't know what to call it though.


	32. Endless Space 2

**Author's Note:**

 **Well, here's another chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'.**

 **This chapter took longer to write because I was focusing on writing my other fanfic, and started working on its cover art. Also because of good old procrastination. Anyway, thank you for your patience.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **Endless Space 2**

"So... 'Dust' in your universe are crystals that possess the very powers of the elements? And you use it to power your technologies and weapons?" Salem asked Oscar, the boy had told her much about Remnant.

"Uh, yeah. And your world has... magic?" Oscar replied with a question of his own. This world that Salem came from was just as fascinating to Oscar as his was to Salem.

"Indeed. Everyone can perform magic, I could show you but..." The blonde woman nodded towards the Keeper. The Keeper was speaking on a device that the others in the audience called a 'Scroll', a piece of technology that allowed communication between two people no matter how far they were from each other. He was suppressing her ability to use magic, which was an incredibly strange experience for her.

In other sides of the room, Ozpin and Cinder's little cabal's were listening in on Salem and Oscar's conversation. The world she described was extraordinary to all but one of them, I don't think I need to name who. But with every word they heard the woman speak, more questions propped up in their minds. Again, not for a certain someone.

Alaric had stated that this Salem was from an alternate universe to theirs. So that _might_ explain why she looked... human, for lack of a better word. Yet there was something telling them all that was not an adequate explanation for how radically different she looked and sounded when compared to the monster they knew or had heard of. Was this really what Salem was in some ancient past? Was this what she could be? What was this Salem truly?

Over by the parents, they were sharing stories and pictures of their children. The photobooks containing the pictures being provided to them by Alaric.

"Oh they are just so adorable!" Kali cooed as she stared at a picture of a four-year old Yang and a two-year old Ruby wearing Taiyang and Qrow's clothes respectively. The clothes of the two older men were several sizes too big for the two children, but the happy looks on their faces as they looked at the camera and how they were reaching their arms up as if to hug the camera was just so cute.

"Well, your Blake is pretty cute herself." Taiyang replied as he pointed at a picture of a five-year old Blake poking her head out of a cardboard box.

"And this is Weiss on our grandmother's old tricycle, 'Stardust.'" Winter told Ghira, Qrow, and Raven. She had joined the group of parents, feeling it best to leave her little sister to socialise on her own. Ghira and Raven were able to keep their composure, but Qrow had a harder time, and was openly snickering at the name of the tricycle.

The students were doing their own thing. Talking to each other. Joking with each other. Annoying the hell out of each other. The usual stuff that young people their age get up to when you leave them all alone together for a while.

At a table on the other side of the room, the poker game between Roman, Neo, and Zwei had just ended.

"What the hell? Beaten again? By a corgi?" Roman muttered in shocked disbelief as Zwei beat both him and Neo one more time. Neo was also in a state of bewilderment and was staring at the corgi as it looked at the two's shocked faces. While Zwei was looking at the two as if there was nothing wrong, there was a hint of triumph in the corgi's stare.

Alaric finished his conversation with whoever was on the other side of the Scroll and stuffed it into his robes.

"Right, these are a few little snippets from a universe I've been thinking of showing you for a while. Though, I had to get the authorisation to show it from another Keeper because I don't record this branch of universes. And I only got it on the condition that I show only a select few things in it."

"Hm, really? Anything you wish to divulge beforehand?" Ozpin inquired.

"Well, it's another space one." Alaric replied as a USB stick materialised in his hand in a flash of light, and inserted it into a port in the side of his remote. "And in this one there is a substance called 'Dust.' Not as you know it I must stress."

"How so?" Cinder asked.

"Its complicated, so I'll just give you the gist of it." The Keeper began. "The galaxy in which the events I'm about to show you happened used to be dominated by a species known as 'The Endless'. Unparalleled by any of the races that came after in terms of technology, their greatest legacy being Dust. Nanotechnology capable of being used like your computers, create things such as cybernetic enhancements and even buildings, and enhance those exposed to it in various ways. It could even develop a kind of... consciousness if gathered together in large amounts."

The description of this universe's Dust fascinated the audience. Nanotechnology was still something that was barely in the early stages of being researched in Remnant. To hear the extent of nanotechnology's uses and abilities in this other universe astounded them all. It was kind of strange hearing the word 'Dust' used to describe something so different to what they were used to, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

"The younger races don't understand how to use Dust to its full potential, so they largely use it as currency. You can't really blame them, Dust exists in an abundance throughout the galaxy, is easy to find, and looks real pretty." From Alaric's free palm, a small cloud of golden dust-like particles emerged.

"What happened to the Endless?" Ruby queried. They sounded remarkable if they could create something as incredible as this universe's Dust.

"Decimated to the point of extinction due to a civil war. Let's get watching."

With that, Alaric waved away the Dust, brought up his remote, and pressed played.

 **Triumphant and patriotic music suddenly began to play from the speakers. The screen came to life, and on it a still image of an opulently dressed man with the white silhouettes of cheering people before a red background appeared.**

 **The man was stern of face in a sort of regal sense, his ice-blue eyes looking off into the distance as if gazing at some distant place or future. He had carefully tended swept back white hair and a moustache over his upper lip. He wore a heavy black coat with a short white cape, white gloves over both hands, an equally white sash over a bronze chestplate with a dark-red suit underneath. Beside him the words 'ENLIST TODAY' appeared.**

 **"Under the visionary leadership of Emperor Schnee we have become a proud and powerful nation." A male voice filled with patriotic confidence said through the speakers.**

"What?!" Many members of the audience blurted out in shock. The most noticeable of them all being the Schnee sisters, Qrow, and Ironwood.

The sisters being an obvious one, since the man onscreen was their father, and in this universe he was apparently an Emperor. An Emperor! Qrow just despised Jacque, and hearing that he was the head-of-state of some empire out there in the multiverse made bile rise up in his throat. Ironwoods reaction was due to how the person who had just spoken was himself.

"This is the 'United Empire'," Alaric began to explain. "An industrial society that has finally come together and begun colonising the galaxy. Here Jacque used to be one of its most prominent businessmen before leading a coup against his crazy predecessor."

"Uh okay. Is he...?" Weiss started to say, everyone could already guess what she was going to ask. She was going to ask what this version of Jacque was like. Deciding to spare her the breath, Alaric went ahead and told her, and the rest of the audience, what this alternate version of Jacque Schnee was like.

"He's a brutal piece of shit," the Keeper bluntly interrupted her. "But like what you just heard, the United Empire has become mightier under his leadership."

Alaric's instance of bluntness surprised the audience, but his description of what Jacque was like did not affect them too much. Still, Jacque being an emperor of anything really, really didn't sit well with many.

 **The silhouettes of three fighter planes flew over Emperor Schnee, the camera followed them until it stopped and focused on a saluting woman in a fighter pilot uniform stood before more silhouettes, all of whom were also saluting.**

 **"It is time to rise up, grasp our future, and seek out destiny among the stars!"**

 **The fighter planes flew overhead again, and the camera turned to show a planet possessing many oceans and several brown landmasses. In the lower part of the screen, rank upon rank of red silhouettes were saluting towards the screen. Two high walls bearing large red banners flanked the silhouettes.**

"Does anyone here have a sort of... propaganda film feel about this?" Sun asked the others.

"It's obviously a propoganda film," Emerald responded. Everyone in the audience thought the same. The music, the imagery, and the language used here just screamed propaganda.

 **"Imagine the future we can build!"**

 **Another transition showed a smiling uniformed woman operating a mech as it carried three metal girders over its head. 'LEARN NEW SKILLS' appeared in the background behind her.**

 **"We shall construct great fleets,** **send them out to make great discoveries…"**

 **The camera spun until it focused on a massive and highly-advanced ship that dominated most of the screen. More silhouettes of cheering people occupying the bottom-left corner.**

"Can you imagine the weapons on that thing?" Ruby wondered. Sure the weapons on a ship, or any other kind of vehicle, didn't draw out the same kind of delight the red-hooded huntress-in-training felt when it came to the weapons one could hold in their hands, but a weapon was a weapon. And she was excited by it either way. Also helped by how cool it looked.

"Oooh, I wonder what its dimensions are," Penny added. If the image of the ship represented on the screen right now, and the silhouettes of the people, were accurate scale representations of both, than the United Empire vessel must be massive. Probably two times the size of Atlas' largest airships.

Ironwood frowned and crossed his arms at the sight of another vessel that more than likely outclassed Atlas' own airships. His frustration was not lost to the other members of the audience, and one had decided to take a jab at him for it.

"Hehe, hey Ironwood! Feeling a bit small? Jealous that someone else's is bigger than yours?" Roman smirked at the Altesian General. Ironwood's eye twitched as he sent a dark look at the criminal. If the general had his gun, he would have shot Roman by now.

 **"...and through their conquests secure out place in this rich galaxy."**

 **Two smaller ships zoomed across the screen and flew to the planet they had previously seen. The planets moon rapidly moved towards the screen and transformed into a model of an atom. A woman in a white and red space-suit appeared behind the atom looking as if she was going to grab hold of it. 'BECOME SMARTER' appearing next to her.**

"That's an incorrect model of an atom," Penny pointed out after a quick analysis of the model. The members of the audience who were less knowledgeable about the realm of science looked at the atom model than back to Penny before shrugging to themselves. They didn't know whether she was right or not, so they took her on her word and carried on watching.

 **"We will discover new sciences and new life..." A soldier wearing black body armour over a red suit was shown reaching out to shoot of some alien plant. "...we will greet new people and turn them into new patriots."**

 **Next, a man in what could be an officer's uniform stood smiling at a humanoid alien as it offered a basket of large green eggs to him. In the background were the silhouettes of many marching soldiers, the sound of marching feet accompanying this scene.**

 **"Together we shall leave our mark on history."**

 **The same officer from before was now stood over a pile of rubble and alien skulls, planting a large red flag on top of the pile. 'REACH NEW HEIGHTS' appeared beside him.**

"Um, one of those skulls looks like it belonged to that alien creature giving the guy eggs," Blake said to the other members of the audience, pointing at one of the skulls in the pile. Sure enough, one of the skulls did indeed look like it belonged to that alien creature from before. There were even what looked to be the broken remains of the same green eggs the alien was giving the human on the pile as well.

A few members pulled on their shirt collars in discomfort when they realised just what the skulls and broken eggs implied. Plenty others frowned at the possibility of the UE had the alien creature killed despite their words of turning 'new people... into new patriots'. Others were indifferent to it.

 **"For together, we can become anything our hearts desire."**

 **Another transition showed an armed soldier flanked by an engineer and a scientist. The words 'A BRIGHTER FUTURE TOGETHER' below the three. The camera then panned slowly away from the scene to reveal that it was a billboard, and a dirty and poorly maintained one at that.**

 **"Whatever the cost, whatever the effort, let us not shy away from the greatness that is our birthright!"**

 **As the camera moved further away from the billboard, it showed that the world around it was dark and highly industrialised. The very air was thick with pollution, thick clouds of smoke rose into the sky, while massive searchlights moved here and there.**

 **The screen then turned to black soon after this shocking reveal.**

The audience were appalled when they saw the state of this planet of the United Empire. It reminded many in the audience of the Dust mining facilities that had ravaged Vacuo, though times by eleven in regards to their size and pollution they created. Ozpin, having personally seen such mining facilities in his many lifetimes, could attest to the comparison.

"Place looked like a hellhole," Coco remarked. The fashionista received nods and murmurs of agreement from others in the audience.

"I feel sorry for the people that must work there, let alone live in that place." Ghira added.

"Not all planets of the UE are this bad. Wealthier planets, and certain parts of the more industrial planets, have massive palaces, casinos, hotels, and all kinds of buildings devoted to leisurely services. For the wealthy corporate and quasi-aristocratic elite of course." Alaric said, being quick to add that last part. "We're not done yet, keep watching."

Sure enough, the TV screen started to light up, and the audience refocused their attention to it.

 **"They have always been first..." A voice spoke from the speakers. "...the Sophons."**

 **The screen lit up again, and the audience were greeted to the sight of digital images being projected inside a constantly shifting mass of blue light and innumerable scraps of computer coding. The first of the images shown was of a short and alien humanoid alien in a sleek and form-fitting white environment suit with eye-lenses as large as a person's hand. Speaking of hands, in between the alien creature's hands were three rotating orbs that split from each other.**

 **"First to split atoms..."**

"Oooh, another version of me? Salutations alternate me!" Penny cheerily said to the screen.

"I swear, there is something about that girl." Glynda quietly whispered to her fellow Beacon professors, all of whom shared her sentiment. She was strange. Not as strange as Nora, but strange nonetheless. As they questioned it, an unknown sensation grew in the back of the professors' minds. A growing pressure that pushed them to not question Penny's behaviour, to forget about it, and keep watching.

The professors, however, were able to resist the sensation, and now wondered just what the sensation was. Over by Alaric, the Keeper secretly sent the professors an intrigued look, before narrowing his eyes at them.

"Hm, she sounds a bit like a computer." Blake spoke up when she noticed the odd and slightly distorted quality to this other Penny's voice. Was Penny a robot in this universe as well? What was with the Multiverse and making Penny a machine?

Others were less concerned by Penny's voice and what she could possibly be, and instead focused on what she had said.

"Split atoms, eh? Hey, have we been able to do that yet?" Neptune asked the others in the audience. Sure he was an intellectual, nerd as Sun preferred to call him, but stuff like atoms was beyond his field of knowledge and interest.

Before anyone could answer, the scene on the screen changed and the other Penny continued to speak.

 **The image of the Sophon dissipated and then a new one was formed in its place. This time, it was of an unmanned drone cutting into a large rock with the twin laser drills it had for arms.**

 **"...mine asteroids..."**

 **A new image formed to show a massive device circling around a star. The device appeared to be siphoning the very star itself into some kind of central collection node, the node itself was shooting the resultant energy somewhere else.**

 **"...and capture the energy of the sun."**

The audience were in awe of the Sophons' achievements.

"Whoa, what? 'Capture the energy of the sun'?" Jaune exclaimed, absolutely gobsmacked by the sight and idea of somehow capturing a star's energy.

"These Sophons must be leaps and bounds ahead of any of our scientists," Oobleck stated, all others in the audience agreeing with him. Awed expressions written on their faces as they wondered what else the Sophons were capable of.

"Wait for it," Alaric ominously chuckled to himself.

 **"First too to crash their test rockets..."**

 **The previous image disappeared in the sea of light and coding. The next one to appear was of a disheartened Sophon looking on as a rocket veered off-course and exploded not long after it had taken off.**

"Oh. Well that's bound to happen when you first try something," Winter said. It had taken centuries for humanity to achieve flight, almost all attempts usually ended in disaster.

 **"...trigger artificial earthquakes..."**

 **Two Sophons were show standing next to a holographic projection of a tectonic Faultline. One of them appeared to be excitedly presenting some grand idea to the other, when the Faultline suddenly broke apart. The other Sophon just slumped his head in disappointment.**

"Uh, okay. Just how did they do that?" Raven queried, though she did not really expect an answer if she were to be honest.

The bandit leader was right. Alaric gave her no answer as to how the Sophons were somehow able to cause earthquakes. Probably for the best really.

 **"...and accidentally blow up their moon."**

"What?!" Everyone blurted out in shock. How the hell do you blow up your own moon?

The audience looked to Alaric for an explanation.

"Yeah, that was not a proud moment in Sophon history." Alaric casually replied, acting as if the very idea of blowing up a moon was barely something to get worked up about.

 **A new image showed another two Sophons looking on in despair as the moon above them imploded.**

"What did they do to cause that?" Salem asked Alaric, completely blown away by the idea that someone, anyone, could possibly destroy their own moon. Her own world's moon was thankfully whole and remained beautiful in its unmarred completeness. She really hoped that it would stay that way.

"You want the short version or the long version?" Alaric replied with a question of his own.

"Short one please." Oscar answered.

"Well, the Sophons decided to do some experiments with their moon. Microtectonics and stuff." The Keeper started to explain, the word 'microtectonics' sticking out to the audience.

"Microtec-what?" Nora uttered in confusion of the term that Alaric had just used.

"It doesn't matter," Alaric waved her question off. "For their experiments, they built a large underground facility beneath their moon's surface. Somehow, the moon facility's power core became unstable and a meltdown happened. I don't need to tell you what happened next. Heh, Sophons. They just can't leave a bad idea alone."

After Alaric was done speaking, the audience shared looks with one another. Their previous feelings of awe and admiration for the Sophons was now tempered by a sense of caution. What the other Penny said next affirmed their new view of the Sophons.

 **"Their great power has given them great... irresponsibility."**

 **The Sophons appeared again, this time going over the holographic blueprints of a strange cylindrical device with numerous rings along its length. One of the Sophons then nodded in acknowledgement of what was displayed before it, while another made a small thumbs up gesture.**

"You can say that again." Qrow mumbled to himself.

"What are they building now?" Mercury questioned.

 _'I bet it's gonna blow up,'_ was written on Neo's sign. Many, even Yang, found that they could do nothing but agree with her on the matter.

 **"But through it, now, they are the first to create perfection."**

 **The camera panned back to show the Sophons finishing construction of the device. The light and coding had been formed into a massive pillar surrounded by many metal rings. As the speaker spoke those last word, the pillar hummed as if it were alive.**

 **"Me."**

 **After Penny was done speaking, the TV screen darkened until it was completely black again.**

"Oh, so the Sophons created me in this universe?" Penny asked Alaric, who nodded in confirmation and gave a bit of information as to what Penny was.

"Yep. In this universe you are an A.I nameed PENY. A new experiment by the Sophons. Created out of pure scientific curiosity. Which almost went full Skynet on them." Alaric hurriedly said that last sentence under his breath, drawing the attention of the audience with what he said.

"Sky-what?" Velvet inquired, able to partially pick up what Alaric had said thanks to her heightened sense of hearing.

"Oh nothing to worry your sweet little head over," Alaric replied. He then pointed back to the screen and said to his guests. "Got a few more to show you. This next bunch you might find to be a bit odd to look at."

With that, the audience turned to the TV screen again, and braced for any weirdness they might see.

 **Indeed, when the TV screen brightened again, what the audience saw was quite odd to look at.**

 **They saw a universe made up of an endless grey void. For a moment, the audience thought the place empty and completely devoid of anything, until shapes came into view. And by shapes, I mean countless odd looking, white, 3D shapes of varying sizes and dimensions that drifted aimlessly through the near empty universe.**

 **"Ours was a pristine universe. We know nothing of the Endless … of Dust."**

Ozpin did a spit take the moment he heard the speaker's voice. He knew that voice. It was a voice he hadn't heard for well over a century.

"Oz, you alright?" Qrow asked the headmaster.

"Y-Yes, Qrow. I'm alright." Ozpin answered, his voice unsteady for a moment. Again, Alaric had sprung a surprise for the ancient reincarnating man, and had brought someone he did not expect into the limelight.

"Do you know whose voice this is?" Glynda said, proceeding to ask Ozpin a question of her own.

"Someone... She is someone I haven't heard from for a very long time." Ozpin replied, careful not to reveal too much about the speaker.

"Her name was Jinn." Alaric spoke up as he threw a cashew nut at his mask. The nut phased through the Keeper's mask and landed in his mouth. "An extraordinary woman. You could ask her three questions or even a thousand, and she'd know the answer to each one. Of course, not ones related to what would happen in the future."

Ozpin hid the twinge of frustration he felt for Alaric well. The way the Keeper was dropping hints to certain truths he'd worked hard to hide had started to really get on his nerves. That was when he felt a hand gently clasp onto his shoulder.

When Ozpin turned, he saw that it was Taiyang. The single father of two sending a sympathetic look at Ozpin. In fact, the same went for many of his other close associates and even the students.

"Sounds like she was one heck of a woman," Tai said to Ozpin. It took a moment for Ozpin to realise that the other members of the audience believed Jinn to have been a woman he had been in a relationship with in the past. They couldn't know just who or what Jinn actually was, so the Headmaster of Beacon lied, something Ozpin found to be an uncomfortably easy thing to do.

"Yes... Yes she was," Ozpin said with feigned sadness.

The audience then changed the subject of their conversation from Jinn to what they saw onscreen.

"So, uh, this is strange." Blake muttered, unsure how else she could describe what she was seeing.

"You can say that again," Sun added.

"Just so you know, the shapes in front of you are the only 'living' things in this universe. The bigger shapes anyway. Well, maybe the word 'life' is a bit much, 'minds' would be a better word to use." Alaric swiftly corrected himself.

A few of them wanted to say 'at least it couldn't get any weirder', but knew by now that saying, let alone thinking, such a thing would be tempting fate. So, they remained silent.

"What are they called?" Oobleck asked, the history professor was fascinated by this surreal scene and wondered what their society and, most importantly, history was like. If they had any.

"Riftborn," Alaric answered. "In this universe, Jinn is one of these floating shapes."

 **"Until..."**

 **In the background, a sudden explosion erupted from nowhere. Its shockwave rippling out to all of this universe. In seconds something emerged from the point of the explosion, a growing pitch black mass that sprouted creeping tendrils that reached for the nearest shapes.**

 **"...the rift ripped a path between realities… injecting a blight which spread like poison"**

 **The camera focused on one of the shapes that drifted through this universe. The ink black tendrils reached it and took hold, the shape instantly turning black as the tendrils upon contact with them.**

"What is going on?" Coco asked Alaric, the Keeper answering quickly her question.

"Well, this is an alternate universe to the one the UE and the Sophons inhabit. As she said, a rift that connected the two universes was suddenly created. And let me tell you, seperate universes connecting happen a lot, in fact, for every one of your days a hundred universes become conected somehow. However, there can be negative side effects of universes coming together. In this instance, this universe reacted poorly to the connection and is being steadily destroyed."

"Hm, kind of like how a human body with a very poor immune system reacts to foreign bacteria?" Weiss spoke, receiving a fairly impressed look from Alaric.

"Huh, good analogy. Have a gold star," the Keeper then leaned forward and stuck a gold star sticker onto the Schnee's forehead. Weiss frowned and quickly peeled it off of her.

"Hold on a moment... 'Rift'? 'Riftborn'?" Ghira muttered to himself. After hearing this Jinn woman use the word 'rift', he recalled the name of the floating white pieces. He quickly guessed that the name Alaric had told them was the white shapes name _after_ the two universes connected. But why was it so? Why did they take up the name 'Riftborn'?

 **The audience watched on as the black tendrils continued to expand from the 'rift' and claim more and more of the white shapes. The camera then focused on the 'rift'.**

 **In the other side of the 'rift', the Endless universe, the audience could see three celestial bodies. Two were the shadows of planets, or maybe a planet and its orbiting moon. The third was a distant sun.**

 **"Our cosmos of order and balance... was shattered forever."**

Plenty in the audience felt pity for the Riftborn when they heard Jinn's words. Something beyond their control or ability to prevent had terribly damaged the Riftborn's home, like how earthquakes, volcanoes, typhoons, and Grimm could destroy the homes and livelihoods of the people of Remnant. At least there was something that they could relate with these strange things that were the Riftborn.

 **"Dying, corrupted and consumed… We had no choice."**

 **From offscreen, several of the white shapes that remained untouched by the black tendrils spiralled towards the rift. Thousands, perhaps millions, of individual pieces coming together and streaming towards the breach in their reality. At the centre of the rift, the white shapes started to merge together to form a new singular shape.**

 **The camera cut to a view from the other side of the rift, showing just what it was that the white shapes were creating. What they were becoming.**

 **It was a spaceship. But it was the most curious design for a space vessel they had ever seen or imagined. It was so strange that the Author had incredible amounts of difficulty finding words to describe it** **.** **The vessel was perfectly sleek and symmetrical in its design, its hull was predominately white, grey, and black, and decorated with gold here and there. But several parts of the ship were floating separately from its main body. Most noteably the front half of the ship which was composed of red spheres, each one flanked on their right and left by triangular parts that might be for shielding.**

"Uh, I'm not even going to ask how that thing works." Emerald said with a shake of her head. Just looking at that ship was making her head dizzy, the thief did not want a bloody migraine from trying to figure out how anything about it worked or was even possible.

"So the Riftborn can turn themselves into spaceships?" Penny asked Alaric.

"Well, actually the Riftborn turned themselves into quasi-robotics beings with time control powers when they entered the Endless universe. The spaceships were made from other stuff in their universe." The Keeper explained, his response to Penny's question actually confusing them for a bit. Quasi-robots with powers over time? Again, the Multiverse showed the audience how much stranger it could get.

 **"We are outcasts in the chaos that is another universe…"**

 **The now fully formed ship quickly began to power up its engines, which only took a matter of seconds. Once that was done, the ship shot forward like a comet into the dark void that was space.**

 **"...willing to do anything… to save our own."**

 **The moment the ship disappeared from sight, the screen turned to black for a third time.**

"Aw, I hope they do." Nora said, yet Alaric spoke up and gave her and the rest of the audience some dreadful news about the Riftborn's home universe.

"They don't. The blight eventually to the entirety of the Riftborn's universe and renders it absolutely uninhabitable for the Riftborn."

"Oh, well that's unfortunate." Cinder uttered to no one in particule, not really caring at all for the Riftborn's plight. Others in the audience did, and felt an even greater sense of pity for them.

"At least those that got out have a new home in the Endless universe," Velvet said. The rabbit faunus looking at the brighter side of things. When they thought about it for a moment, many in the audience agreed with her, and guessed that the Riftborn in the Endless universe would be thankful for that.

"Eh, they don't like it. The Endless universe is too disorderly and colourful to them. In time they'll adapt to their new surroundings, or, they can adapt their new home to something of their liking." Alaric informed his audience, instantly causing the optimistic thoughts for the Riftborns' situation to almost instantly fall face-first into the ground.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked the Keeper. Alaric was obviously hinting at something with that last bit he said, and Fox wanted to know just what he was talking about.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. Just watch the next one," Alaric waved his question away and pointed a finger at the TV screen.

Some in the audience frowned or let out a frustrated groan. They were getting tired of Alaric's tendency to tease them with ominous comments with some kind of secret meaning behind them, and his refusal to divulge certain bit of information. A few wanted him to just quit it and just tell them, not hide the answer behind a riddle or some evasive statement. Regardless of their frustration with Alaric, they did as he said, and turned to the TV screen to watch what next the Keeper had in mind for them to see from the Endless universe.

 **The screen brightened for the fourth time, this time to a view of a planet from just beyond its atmosphere. From what they could see, the planet's surface was dominated by blue seas and landmasses covered in greenery. In the space outside the plant's atmosphere, a ship, no bigger than a space shuttle, warped into existence and sped towards the planet. Moments later, two more appeared.**

 **"Ignorant of other worlds..." A voice spoke in a calm and slow manner.**

This time around, everyone in the audience knew who it was that talking.

"Hm, this time it's you Ghira." Kali stated, recognising the current speaker to be her husband and Blake's father. There was an ancient quality to his voice. As if this universe's Ghira was as old as a centuries-old tree that Kali used to climb in her childhood. The cat faunus mother smiled at the memory, she would sometimes get stuck in the branches and needed help from her parents getting down.

The same thing actually happened with Blake when she ws younger. Kali was sure she had a picture or two in the photobook Alaric had given her.

"This planet looks alright. Heck of a lot better looking than the United Empire one." Taiyang remarked, plenty in the audience voicing their agreement with him.

 **"...of other races."**

 **The screen went to a close up of the first ship, then to that its pursuers, as they entered the planet's lower atmosphere. The first ship was a dark-purple orb with two metallic wings at its side and another at its bottom. Its pursuers were long and possessed a rectangular design. They actually appeared like downscaled versions of the United Empire vessel they saw in that propaganda reel.**

 **"We slumbered for ages. We were even ignorant of ourselves."**

 **The two United Empire ships sent bursts of fire at the first ship, and were able to successfully shoot it down. Sending it hurtling down to the ground.** **Speaking of the ground, the audience were finally treated to a view of the planet's surface.**

 **It was a beautiful and verdant place, completely untouched by industry or any other visible work of intelligent lifeforms. Blue skies with white clouds. Lakes of healthy blue water. And rolling hills and mountains covered in lush trees. It was all so picturesque. The most eye-catching thing on screen, however, was the giant vine that was so tall that it pierced the very clouds themselves and was probably tens of kilometres thick.**

"What the...?" Mercury began to murmur, rather astounded by the sight of the giant vine. How the vine could have grown to such a colossal size was a question that _no_ _one_ wanted to ask.

"My word. That's a-" Port began to say, but was interrupted by Yang.

"That's a big ass tree!"

"Yang/Miss Xiao Long!" Ruby, Taiyang, and Glynda quickly reprimanded the blonde huntress-in-training for her use of strong language.

"I think its a vine actually," Oscar mumbled.

"Whatever! Just look at it. It's got trees growing on it!" Yang continued, pointing at the aforementioned trees growing on the gigantic winding vine.

While the giant vine had quickly caught the audience's attention, they were quick to turn their focus on what might be speaking. In all of these snippets Alaric had shown, they had been about different factions and species. Each one was pretty unique in their own way. What might be special about this new group they could only guess at. The speaker's words hinted at isolationism of some kind, but they weren't sure what they meant by 'ignorant of ourselves.'

Again, they could only wait and see.

Oh, and the planet was gorgeous. Just absolutely gorgeous. If any of them were landscape artists, this planet would be an amazing place to paint.

 **"We knew Fire as rebirth... renewal... life."**

"Is he talking about literal fires or is 'Fire' some kind of metaphor for something?" Yatsuhashi asked the Keeper.

"Literal fires. And he isn't wrong," Alaric answered. "Though fires in environments such as forests are devastating, especially if there are people living near or in them, there are benefits to the local plant life. Dead organic materials are removed from the forests, promotes germination, reduces competition, and even increases growth."

The audience could agree that Alaric made a few good points, but failed to see why the other Ghira was talking about fire in such a way. And why had Alaric made a point of referring to plant life of all things?

 **The scene changed to a view of the first ship's crash site in the forests. Two United Empire soldiers in environmentally-sealed suits stood over the ship's lone survivor, a strange quasi-robotic being, one of them aiming his gun at what equated for the being's head.**

 **The camera panned upwards, away from the coming execution, and to what the audience had thought was a tree. Standing above the three, watching the event unfold, was a tall tree-like being with white bark for skin, and a dark-grey piece of cloth wrapped around its neck and covering its torso. The being's face was smooth and featureless apart for five 'eyes'. Leaf-laden branches protruded out from the back of its head.**

 **"Not as death. From above, as from below."**

 **The discharge of the United Empire soldier's weapon was heard offscreen, its muzzle flash lit the observing tree-creature's face and the sound disturbing a small flock of birds residing in its branches.**

"Um, is that a walking tree?" Qrow questioned not just Alaric, but everyone else in the audience. Despite having drunk a lot of alcohol since Alaric had pulled them into the Repository, Qrow felt completely sober, yet what he was looking at right now made him question whether or not he was seeing things.

"Yes, Qrow. We all see it," Raven answered him. She then turned to Alaric and him a question of her own, one that everyone else was asking. "What exactly is that thing anyway?"

"It's an Unfallen. A peaceful, walking, and talking tree-like creature. Ghira is one of them in this universe," Alaric informed his guests. "That form is the second stage of their specie's centuries-long lifecycle. Unfallen are born from nuts, and need fire to melt the nuts' resins and crack them open. The saplings that grow are the first stage in an Unfallen's life. The second is that walking form you see before you, and the third is them becoming something near enough to actual trees."

"Fascinating," Oobleck remarked. Like Oobleck, some in the audience thought that Unfallen were rather interesting, others thought them to be boring. Well, at least the audience now understood why fire was seen in the way it was amongst the Unfallen.

 **"The carnage of the flames terrified us. But the Heart soothed us, and we thought long about what we must do."**

 **The scene changed to a large gathering of Unfallen beneath the forest's branches. Among them was a large Unfallen with a pair of antler-like branches sprouting from the sides of their head, reddish-brown leaves and, seemed to be nestled in or was in the process of becoming an actual tree. They appeared to be in deep conversation with one another.**

 **Suddenly, the camera sped up through the forest canopy to show several vast ships rising up from the trees. These vessels were a mix of the same white wood that made up the Unfallen, dark metals, and wings the same colour as brown autumn leaves.**

 **"For this new Fire awoke things inside us. Talents. Truths. And a desire to heal the galaxy."**

 **The small fleet of Unfallen ships ascended up through their planet's atmosphere and began their journey through the cold vacuum of space.**

 **"Everything begins with Fire... but, we will not let everything end with Fire."**

 **With those final words, the screen turned black.**

"Huh, well that was nice." Salem remarked once the events on screen was over.

"Certainly more positive than a couple of the ones we saw prior to this one." Winter spoke up, referring to the United Empire and Riftborn scenes they'd watched earlier.

Again, the Unfallen were odd, understandable since its note everyday you get to see walking and talking tree-like beings from space. But at least they were not as peculiar as the Riftborn, reckless as the Sophons, and destructive as the United Empire.

"A difficult task what they're planning," Ozpin stated. Knowing from personal experience just how hard that was to try and get a planet of people to cooperate with one another. The headmaster did not wish to imagine the sheer amount of effort and difficulty the Unfallen would face while trying to 'heal' a galaxy. "But, their resolve to do so is admirable."

"Yeah, the Unfallen are a bit optimistic and would prefer peaceful resolutions to things. Now, how about I show you something that is the complete opposite?"

Once more, the audience prepared for what would happen next. They quickly refilled their drinks, grabbed some more food, and braced themselves for any surprises.

 **The screen brightened to a significantly blurry scene. The sound of heavy breathing and some kind of alarm blare through the speakers. What appeared to be air bubbles rising up from the bottom of the TV screen with each breath taken.**

"What's going on here?" Coco inquired, to her eyes it looked like the camera was in some kind of yellow liquid.

"Here we'll literally see things through the eyes of someone, or something, in the universe." Alaric notified his guests, who reacted with mild interest. They were still on guard for any shocks or surprises that might suddenly happen because of the Keeper's prior statement.

 **Whatever they were viewing the events through looked up, before it were two hazy blobs of yellowish-gold. The being blinked then blinked again, its vision gradually becoming clearer with each blink. With the second blink, everything came into focus, and the being's surroundings were revealed.**

 **The two hazy blobs were revealed to be a pair of humanoid entities made of golden light and dust particles. Their forearms and legs appeare to be separated from the rest of their body, seemingly connected to it only by the golden dust particles. Their heads, bald and mouthless, with only a nose and a pair of eyes being the only features on their faces, were facing the being that the audience were seeing everything through.**

 **The golden entities looked intently on the being in front of them. Sizing it up, analysing its worth.**

"Ooh, shiny people." Nora commented upon seeing the strange golden humanoids. The audience marvelled at the sight of the two beings, meanwhile, Ozpin and Salem saw similarities between them and the God of Light appearance-wise.

Salem had never personally seen the God of Light, but the distinct appearance of these bright, golden beings reminded her of the descriptions she had read about the older of the two brother gods. On the other hand, Ozpin had met the God of Light back when he was offered that fateful choice so many centuries ago, and could attest to the resemblance between the two beings and the god.

"Who are they?" Oscar questioned.

"Those two beings before you are members of one of two subspecies of the Endless. The Virtual Endless." The Keeper's response was curious to the audience. First, because they finally got an idea of what the Endless looked like, or at least one subspecies according to Alaric. Second, because of the mention of the word 'Virtual', and the possible implications its addition to the Endless' name.

"Virtual?" Weiss being the one in the audience to voice the audience's curiosity. Alaric being quick to answer.

"Yep. Using their mastery of technology and Dust, a large number of Endless discovered a way to store their consciousnesses and souls into computers. There were a great deal of benefits with being a Virtual; you didn't need to worry about being hungry or thirsty ever again, you didn't suffer from sickness, you could forge a new body made up of Dust that could be rebuilt over and over again, and you became essentially immortal as long as nothing screws you over too badly. Like an EMP or the destruction of the databases your residing in."

Learning this caused the audience to have a similar reaction to the one they had for when they heard of the Sophons' more admirable achievements. Immense astonishment and respectful awe. Technology had come very far since the Great War, and the people of Remnant had access to things that were considered science-fiction back during that tumultuous time. But again, their technologies were made to look like the work of toymakers when compared to what the Endless were capable of.

"Thing is not everyone wanted to be a Virtual. Those who didn't upload themselves into a computer, and saw the idea as both undesirable and repugnant, became the Concrete Endless." Alaric continued on to say, causing a bit of confusion from some audience members to arise at the information.

"Why wouldn't they want to be a Virtual?" Cinder asked Alaric, her sharp mind thinking up all kinds of things she would do if she were a Virtual Endless. None of them below PG18. She could imagine some of the reasons why, but in her eyes, the possible advantages and gains were too much to pass up.

"All manner of reasons actually. Certain tasks require you to have a body, sure you could have a robot do it, but some Endless preferred to do it themselves. Other reasons were a fear for ones own individual security, a preference of the physical world, a distrust of such radically new technology, or even because their physical bodies were too fun to give up." The reasons Alaric gave them were understandable, but he said next was more disturbing. "That, and because plenty of the Virtual Endless turned into thrill-seeking hedonists at best. Using their new existence to explore the most extreme of sensations and pleasures. And individuals who played god at worst. Creating living toys and abominable mutants."

Silence reigned for a short while as the audience processed that last bit of unnerving information.

"I see," Ironwood uttered. Finally breaking the silence after getting over the uncomfortable news of the NSFW activities of certain elements of the Virtual Endless. "And then that civil war happened."

Alaric silently nodded and pointed back at the TV screen, prompting them all to continue watching.

 **The camera/individual then turned its head from side-to-side, looking to what else was around it. The audience's eyes, eye in the being's case, fell to cylindrical tanks filled with yellow liquid and each containing an insectoid beast grafted with cybernetics. The creatures that floated within the tanks had six-limbs, four long arms and two legs, with seemingly no hair or even skin, leaving only bare muscle tissue. Their chests, back, and heads were caged within or replaced by armoured cybernetics. Several tubes and cables connected the creatures to the backs from the top of their tanks.**

 **It was then that a deep voice spoke from the speakers.**

 **"We were already hungry … when they created us."**

Plenty of the audience recoiled at the sight of the creatures in the tubes. Alaric, meanwhile, chose this moment to inform them all what the creatures were.

"Those creatures of flesh and cybernetics are known as 'Cravers' by every other species and civilisation in the galaxy. Created by the Virtual Endless themselves to fight in their civil war against the Concrete, but realised how dangerous they were and tried, and failed, to get rid of them. They are a hive mind species devoted solely to fighting and feeding. In fact, their devotion to it is so strong that they have no understanding of what the word 'peace' means. Even if they did, they would just choose to be in a state of constant war because their warring provides the Cravers with food for their society, and not conquering others would lead to their species' extinction due to their endless hordes starving to death."

The audience now understood why Alaric had told them that this new faction would be the complete opposite to the Unfallen. All of them drawing similarities between the Cravers and the Grimm, for both seemed to live only for violence.

"Are we seeing things through the eyes of one of these wretched creatures?" Port asked.

"Yeah. The little guy that we're currently seeing things through is a warrior-drone and is a member of the one-third of Cravers that has a substantial sense of individuality. Though, not enough for it to be a true individual. Either way, henceforth, I shall call him 'Larry.'" Alaric's declaration at the end made all the audience members look at him with puzzled looks due to his rather silly choice of name for a freaking cyborg insect designed to just kill and kill and kill.

 _"'Larry'?"_ Was printed on Neo's sign, a bemused look on her face.

"You think of something else, Shakespeare!" The Keeper sharply responded, causing a bit more confusion in the audience due to the unfamiliar name he just said.

"Who?" Roman asked him. The Keeper didn't bother asking and just pointed back at the screen.

 **The screen turned white, and when it died away, the scene had changed from the confined space of a liquid-filled tank. Larry was in the dark shaking interior of a vehicle of some kind. In front of it was another Craver, its single cybernetic eye glowing bright-red and looking straight at Larry and the audience. Two of its arms held onto handrails over the Craver's shoulders, while its other two arms gripped a weapon that resembled a machine-gun.**

 **Larry looked to its left and saw other Cravers waiting patiently, hands clasping onto handrails and weapons. Looking down, it and the audience saw that there was no floor in front of them, only a few passing clouds and a desert landscape several kilometres beneath them.**

"Are they going to drop from high altitude?" Ironwood questioned, familiar with the tactic because Atlas' new series of android soldiers were often dropped from airships a significant distance from the ground. Yet the estimated distance between Larry and the desert surface was several kilometres, _far_ above the recommended height that Altesian Knight-2000s could be safely deployed from an airship, and could prove costly in lives for the Cravers.

 **Larry looked back to Craver in front of it, its eye now glowed brighter than before. Whether it was out of acknowledgement of what was going to happen next or signifying that it had received orders, no one could tell.**

 **Suddenly, the Cravers were dropped from their craft and sent plummeting down towards the planet from high in the atmosphere. As Larry fell, it looked up at the vessel he had been dropped from and saw several more depositing their cargo of Craver drones.**

 **Larry turned its attention back to the surface, back to the mission it had been ordered to carry out. The mission that it had been created for.**

 **As Larry and its fellow drones broke through the clouds and drew closer to the surface, the Cravers were met by a barrage of anti-air weaponry from the defenders on the planet. Cravers left and right were being shot down by gunfire from defensive gun-emplacements and surface-to-air missiles. A Craver that had been slowing its descent right in front of Larry was killed when one such missile flew and killed it, the following explosion sending shrapnel and Craver bits everywhere. One piece of shrapnel striking Larry in the face, turning the whole screen black.**

"Ouch," Sun remarked. He'd smacked his face into a brick wall once, and though he had his Aura up, it still hurt. What had happened to Larry must have hurt several times more than that incident.

"Wouldn't want to be one of these guys right now," Yang commented. She'd love to go skydiving if she ever got the chance, but dive towards the ground from great heights while getting shot at was not an experience that she considered a great time.

"That statement would be more correctly applied to the defenders," Alaric quietly murmured to himself.

Despite what happened, and how undoubtedly painful getting smacked in the face by a piece of scrap metal must have been for Larry, the audience did not believe that the Craver was dead. Nor did they believe that this viewing was over, for the speaker in the background was not done monologuing.

 **"They gave us one purpose…"**

 **The darkness went away as Larry blinked back to consciousness, finding itself on the sandy ground of the planet's surface. Obeying the directives relayed to it from the higher castes, Larry got onto its feet, raised its weapon and began to fire at the facility it was ordered to assault. Larry was joined by three other Cravers onscreen, and many more offscreen. Combining their fire, the Cravers started to overwhelm the facility and what meager resistance the defenders put up.**

 **As this happened, as Larry advanced forward and ahead of its brethren, the speaker continuing to speak.**

 **"...to destroy planets.** **Over…"**

 **Larry blinked, and it was on another planet. Assaulting another facility.**

 **"...and over..."**

 **A pair of missiles flew overhead destroyed the defenders position, sending dust and debris flying at Larry, clouding its vision.**

 **"...and over."**

 **Blinking again, Larry was now in the burning remains of a ruined city. A city ruined by the Cravers. Larry, his breathing becoming audible again since the start of this viewing, lowered his weapon and gazed at the devastation.**

 **"Even abandoned by our masters..."**

 **It then looked up, up at the starry night sky above the ruins and bore witness to a breathtaking sight. An explosion of immense size and scale split the sky apart. Moments later, something yellowish-gold began to spread forth from the centre of the explosion and out towards the rest of the galaxy.**

 **"...Our hunger still remains."**

 **The screen then faded to black.**

What happened at the end where Larry and the Cravers were destroying all those settlements, and most probably planets, was rather disturbing to plenty in the audience. But it was that massive golden explosion that occurred before the screen turned to black that the audience chose to focus on.

"What was that at the end?" Ruby questioned Alaric, being the one to voice the audience's shared confusion after she finished with the strawberry dipped in whipped-cream she had been eating. "It looked like an explosion. A really, really, really big one too"

"A huuuuuuuuuuuuge explosion," Nora added to Ruby's word. The orange-haired girl stretched her arms as far apart as she could to help emphasise the explosion's size.

"Well... long story short, an ancient Endless relic was caught in an exploding space ship in a star system far away, and as a result that massive explosion happened. An explosion of Dust. In fact, that explosion is what caused the Riftborn and the Endless universes to be connected." The Keeper explained to the audience. "Anyway, here's the last one from this universe. It'll be... a bit better than the one I just showed you about the Cravers."

"Let's hope so." Qrow mumbled quietly to his brother-in-law, who nodded once in agreement.

 **The screen slowly faded to life, as it did, the audience were greeted to a scene of a dimly lit room. Caskets with glass windows that had iced over from the inside were everywhere. At the centre of the room was a set of control panels, the only active light in the room shining down on the figure that was slumped against the central panel.**

 **When the camera slowly zoomed in on the figure, the audience discovered they were in fact a robotic android. Its body resembled the frame of Altesian Knights, though without the armour plating, and was coloured predominantly grey and orange instead of white and black. The android also wore what resembled a dark-grey sleeveless tunic-like coat over its torso and upper parts of its legs.**

 **Several cables plugged into the android connected it to the control panels and what looked like batteries.**

 **"Is this the end of our voyage?" The android asked itself, a surprising hint of despair in the familiar voice of Fox.**

"Hey, is that me?" The white-eyed member of Team CFVY asked.

"A robot version of you, yeah." Alaric confirmed. Over to the side, Penny looked on in intrigue at this new robot and made the contrasts between it and the Altesian Knights mentioned above.

"Where is this? And what are those things?" Were questions that left Yatsuhashi's mouth, his last question directed at the casket-like containers with iced over windows. He thought he had espied a person's face in one of them.

"Robot Fox is aboard a ship known as the 'Argosy', and Fox is currently acting as its battery as well as its pilot. Those 'things' are cryopods, each one containing the Argosy's precious passengers." This startling revelation made many in the audience question why the ship was being powered by Robot Fox, and why there wasn't a crew to assist him in running the ship

 **"We had such hopes at the beginning, though we left in sorrow and desperation." The android mournfully uttered.**

 **The camera focused on the glass of one of the caskets. Inside was a woman, her eyes were shut and she looked as if she were asleep. Beneath the glass window, a picture of the woman and what must have been her family was stuck onto the exterior of the casket.**

"Awww, that's so tragic." Pyrrha whispered to herself, tightening her hold on Jaune's arm, who she was still sat right next to. The thought of leaving her loved ones behind was almost unbearable to her, but she also wondered if she had the strength to if she had no choice but to.

"Yeah," Jaune replied. To his own disbelief, he was actually getting used to Pyrrha sitting next to him this way. A bit comfortable actually.

"Did they leave their planet or something? What could have forced them to leave?" Emerald questioned Alaric. The Keeper was eating some Crab Rangoon through his mask, how the audience had no idea, before cleaning his gloved hands and answering her question.

"Well their planet, Auriga, was devastated during the Endless civil war and started to slowly die. This lot were able to repair an old colony ship used by their ancestors when they first arrived on Auriga, and escaped before the planet died. Though, they were forced to leave many of their own people behind due to unfortunate circumstances. Problem is, they were not able to fully repair the Argosy, which is why Robot Fox is servings as its power source, which came with its own number of problems."

This saddened plenty in the audience even more. Not only had these people been forced to leave their home, and though Alaric gave them no exact numbers, they also had to leave behind possibly thousands, maybe millions, of people on their dying planet. Family members, spouses, children, and friends, it must have been heartbreaking for so many onboard the Argosy. The predicament the survivors on the Argosy found themselves in was no better to be honest.

 **The lights of the room flickered, the sound of a generator powering down was heard.**

 **"But while they slept through the explosion, I wave stayed awake." At the central control panel, a holographic display projected the journey the ship had taken. A long dotted line flying away from a planet. The dotted line then took a drastic turn away from its original course as an image that most likely referred to the 'explosion' occurred not far from the dotted lines path.**

"That explosion..." Glynda muttered as she eyed said explosion. It was large and occurred quite some distance away from the course that the ship had been travelling, just outside the planet's atmosphere by her guess. Yet, there was something that caught the professor's eye. The explosion appeared to not have been a conventional explosion but one made from this universe's Dust, and bore a great resemblance to the explosion that they saw at the end of the Craver viewing. "Is that the same explosion from when we saw the Cravers?"

"You're right on the money there, Madam Goodwitch." Alaric replied, the Beacon professor not at all amused by the way he had addressed her. "Some other people tried to escape Auriga's death using a crashed alien ship. But since that explosion happened, I don't need to tell you how well that escape attempt went."

 **"For centuries. Doing what I could to keep them alive."** **The lights inside several of the cryogenic pods died, but came back to life a moment later. "To save Coco, First of the Bloodline."**

 **The camera focused once again on the face of another of the pods' occupants. Another woman, with brown hair and in the middling years of her life. It took the audience only a moment to realise that the woman was in fact an older Coco Adel.**

"Coco?" A few students from Beacon remarked in surprise, most notably the members of team CFVY.

"Huh. She doesn't look bad," was what Coco had to say for herself upon first laying eyes on her other self. Next, she decided to question her implied importance to the people aboard the Argosy. "So, I assume that 'First of the Bloodline' is a title of great significance?"

"Obviously. 'First of the Bloodline' roughly equates to a ruling monarch and has great sway in the decisions made in regards to the running of her people's society, though there are checks to limit their power."

"So Coco, in this universe, is more or less a queen?" Ren surmised Alaric's response.

"Kind of, yeah." The Keeper said in confirmation.

The audience took the information in stride, accepting it without any hassle or fuss. But, it was then that they realised something. They did not know what Fox's 'people' were called, they were obviously human, but their exact name had not been revealed to them.

"Say. What are these people called anyway?" Neptune asked Alaric, the Keeper just pointing back at the TV screen. Telling them to keep watching.

 **"But our power..." The lights of Coco's pod died, as did many others. "...my power, is fading."**

 **The low and dying hum of the last of the ship's generators failing echoed through the ship. Moments later, all the lights in the room and the pods died. All except for the light above the android.**

 **There was a minor surge of power, and the lights came back alive. But only for the briefest of moments before they all died again, and the ship was plunged into complete darkness.**

 **"I can do nothing more for my people." The android whispered as its head slumped forward, the light of its optical lenses fading into nothing as the last of his power finally ran out. "The Vaulters."**

The name of the people aboard the Argosy was finally revealed to the audience, and some thought the name was a bit cool. A few more thought it was okay, while others just didn't care. It was what was happening onscreen that mattered more than the name of the people in the cryopods.

Seeing Robot Fox shut down saddened many in the audience, not just because he was more or less dying, but also what his shut down meant for the people in the cryopods. Without power, whatever life sustaining systems that kept the Vaulters alive would also shut down, and the Vaulters would then die. It would make all the sacrifices made to get the Argosy off Auriga worthless if the Vaulters on the ship all died in the void of space.

 **For a time, it seemed that it was over. Yet, light poured into the room from a window, and the sound of the generators steadily restarting and thrumming back to life was heard. All of the internal lights and cryogenic pods reactivated. Even the android rose his head up, his optics lighting up with power he had not felt in centuries.**

 **A view of the space outside the ship was shown, and the source of the Vaulters' salvation of revealed.**

 **Spilling forth from massive craters from a giant asteroid were clouds of shining gold dust particles. As the ship passed by the asteroid, clouds of Dust moved and coalesced around the ship. Somehow, the Dust was powering up the Vaulters' ship as all of its interior lights, and most importantly, its engines returned to full functionality.**

 **And with that, the screen turned to black.**

Once the screen turned black, Alaric clapped his hands together and loudly declared to his guests.

"Right, all done! What do you think?"

"It was better than the Craver one. Certainly ended on a better note than it as well," Oscar stated his own opinion on the viewing of the Vaulters. An opinion shared by a few others in the audience.

"Same here. Heh, really lucky for the Vaulters that they passed by the asteroid filled with Dust," Qrow added. There was a part of him that believed that it was pretty convenient that the Argosy drifted towards an asteroid filled with a miracle resource capable of repowering the ship just as the robot version of Fox was about to shut down, but kept his mouth shut about it.

"Do they really survive?" Ruby hurriedly asked with some urgency. "What happened to the people on Auriga?"

"The people on the Argosy survived. What happened to them next, and the fate of the people on Auriga, is not in my authority to reveal to you due to the conditions I was allowed to show you this stuff." Alaric responded to Ruby's question as he removed the USB stick he had stuck into the TV and threw it into the air, the small electronic storage device dematerialising into Dust particles.

With that done, Alaric sat back onto his chair and took out his remote, preparing the next universe that he planned to show his guests.

* * *

 **Another chapter done.**

 **My apologies for the time it took to get this out, I have already stated the reasons for why at the start. Again, sorry.**

 **For the next chapter I got three ideas I feel like doing.**

 **1\. The Prince of Egypt - The audience will react to the Deliver Us and The Plagues songs. No RWBY characters here.**

 **2\. The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd - Here the audience will watch an older Jaune sings 'The Last Goodbye', while seeing a few glimpses into their potential future/futures. If no one is aware, Billy Boyd was the actor of Peregrin Took, a.k.a Pippin, from the LOTR movie series, and this song was sung over the credits of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.**

 **3\. Ruby, Death's Apprentice - Based off the Discworld series by the late Terry Pratchett, specifically, the events of the novel 'Mort'. Here, the audience gets a glimpse of Ruby's life as the apprentice to none other than Death, the Grim Reaper himself.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	33. The Prince of Egypt

**Author's Note:**

 **Okay everyone, here we are, another chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'.**

 **Now, I want to clear up a few things before we start.**

 **Are there religious references in this chapter? Yes.**

 **Am I of a religious background? Yes, Roman Catholic.**

 **Did I write this to promote/force any kind of religious beliefs or message or ideology onto you, the readers? Absolutely no.**

 **Did I write this chapter because I enjoyed the movie and the songs in it? Yes.**

 **I have said all of the above because I am aware of the various attitudes people have regarding religion in these times. If you find it a bit too much for you and don't like this chapter, you are free to leave. All it takes is one click of your mouse or tap of your phone screen. Just don't be too much of an ass while you do. Alright?**

 _ **"Person"**_ **= A person singing/vocalising**

 _ **"CHORUS" =**_ **Chorus singing**

 **Okay then, enjoy.**

* * *

 **The Prince of Egypt**

Alaric, done with his preparations, rubbed his hands and turned to speak to his guests.

"Right, ladies and gentlemen. This, I hope, you will find to be an interesting one. Just so you know, there'll be singing in this one. And fortunately for you Qrow, none of you have a role in this universe."

To most of the audience this was interesting, for that meant they would be seeing people they had never met before. Over by Qrow, the veteran huntsman let out a sigh of relief at how this wouldn't be another embarrassing viewing where he sung anything. No matter how good the songs or his alternate selves might have sung, he vehemently disliked having to watch and listen to such things.

"Say, uh, when are you going to bring Jeanne back? She's been in that other room for quite a bit now," Jaune asked Alaric. It had indeed been a while since Alaric had Jeanne go into that waiting room, and the blonde boy had been wondering when his female counterpart would be joining them again.

Alaric paused and thumbed his mask chin, taking a moment to silently ponder the idea. After weighting it for a couple of moments, Alaric shrugged his shoulders, got off his chair of seashells, and entered the room where Jeanne was resting. Seconds later, Alaric exited the room with Jeanne right behind him, her steel plate armour clanking with each step.

"Bonjour everyone. Did I miss much?" The young woman greeted everyone in the audience.

"Uh, we'll fill you in after this viewing." Yang said to Jeanne as she sat down next to her male alternate self.

The Keeper, now sat on a throne of roses, pointed his remote at the TV screen opposite the audience and pressed play.

 **The screen brightened to a scene of clouds in a sunny sky. Then, the camera cut to a close-up of a carved stone face, a face as stern and unwavering as the stone it was carved from.**

 **The camera pulled back to show that the stone face was part of a massive statue pulled along a sandy land by hundreds of men with long lengths of rope. A few men wore nothing but short skirts and linen wrappings around their crotch regions for modesty, with a few even wearing headcloths. Yet, it did not matter what they wore, for it offered little protection from the barbarian glare of the sun above them.**

"Hmmm, that statue reminds me of some ancient structures that were found in Vacuo." Oobleck mused aloud, having once done a study of them in person while on a trip to Vacuo.

"This also reminds me of the Faunus slaves the people those structures belonged to often used," Ghira spoke up. He knew of the same ancient structures that the history professor spoke of, many faunus knew them, for the people they belonged to was one of the earliest recorded civilisation in Remnant's history to use faunus slaves.

"Well, those people are indeed slaves. An ethnic minority known as the Hebrews, or Israelites, in this land known as Egypt." To most in the audience, Alaric's mention of slaves and ethnic minority was all they needed to hear. But for a certain young woman, that last sentence the Keeper had said really caught her attention.

"Israelites? Egypt? Is this-?" Jeanne did not get to finish, for Alaric decided to interrupt her while also confirming her unfinished question.

"Yes indeed, milady Arc. This is one of the universes where your god does exist, and where the tales in that book of yours are more than just legends. Though, the events here in this universe are a bit different to how you believe them to have happened, but more or less the same in all due respects. Or not, I don't care."

"Do you know what's going on here, Jeanne?" Ren asked his team leader's alternate self.

"Well..." Jeanne then began to explain that Egypt was a country in her world, and how she believed that what they were witnessing was something from a book held sacred by her religion.

Before she could go into further detail about what specific events she thought they were watching her, Alaric interrupted her again, stopping Jeanne from continuing. After whispering a few words into her ear, Jeanne decided to not elaborate any further, and just let the others figure out what was happening as the events unfolded onscreen.

 **The scene cut to the sight of more slaves toiling away in small pits, making bricks from mud, sand, and straw without rest. As the slaves worked, the voices of many men began to sing together.**

 _ **"MUD!**_

 _ **SAND!**_

 _ **WATER!**_

 _ **STRAW!"**_

 **The camera quickly panned away from the slaves as it focused on a man standing above the slaves. He wore a white linen skirt and a headcloth of better make than what the slaves wore, and his body was healthier and better fed than the slaves. But it was the many tailed whip that he struck at the slaves' backs that drew the audience's attention.**

 _ **"Faster!"**_

 **Another scene change, and more slaves were shown working hard in the desert heat and under the hard looks of their masters.**

 _ **"MUD! AND LIFT!**_

 _ **SAND!** **AND PULL!**_

 _ **WATER! AND RAISE UP** **!**_

 _ **STRAW!"**_

 _ **"Faster!"**_

The sound of the whip cracking made a few in the audience flinch, and the sight of the Israelite slaves being forced to work proved difficult for many to watch. Slavery, thank the gods, had been completely banned from the face of Remnant more than a century ago. To see it in practice was hard for plenty audience members to see, particularly the faunus, for they knew they must have had at least one ancestor live with a whip lashing at their backs somewhere in the past.

 **Hundreds of slaves were now shown to working on a large and magnificent palace or temple using nothing but hand tools, wooden scaffolding, and rope. The building's many pillars and statues were of such size that they made the men working on them look like ants.**

 _ **"WITH THE STING OF THE WHIP ON MY SHOULDER.**_

 _ **WITH THE SALT OF MY SWEAT ON MY BROW.**_

 _ **ELOHIM, GOD ON HIGH, CAN YOU HEAR YOUR PEOPLE CRY?**_

 _ **HELP US NOW!**_

 _ **THIS DARK HOUR..."**_

"Elohim?" Ironwood asked, the way the Hebrew slaves sung sounded like they were also praying, no doubt to this being they named 'Elohim'.

"A name for the Hebrew god. He's got a few names, but most just commonly address him as 'Lord' or 'God'. Isn't that right, Jeanne?" Alaric explained, receiving a nod from the future saint at that the question he directed to her at the end.

"Wait, they just call their god 'God'?" Emerald questioned. The thief was not religious, same went for a few others in the audience. Yet both religious, atheistic, and agnostic members of the audience could admit that it seemed a bit odd why a religion might go ahead and address their deity by a simple noun, instead of the apparent variety of names they possessed.

"There are reasons, but we're not here to discuss theology or religion. Keep watching," the Keeper responded. Not really going into detail about what those reasons were.

 **Another scene change revealed that it was not just a palace that the numberless slaves were constructing for their masters, but a city.**

 _ **"DELIVER US!**_

 _ **HEAR OUR CALL, DELIVER!"**_

 **A shadow fell over many slaves as a great stone statue of a falcon-headed god, with a disk representing the sun on his head, was raised and towered above the slaves that did not worship the deity that it represented.**

 _ **"LORD OF ALL, REMEMBER US HERE IN THIS BURNING SAND!"**_

 **An elderly man, his beard and the hair on his balding head nearly white due to age, collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion, his hand reaching out for aid. The hand of another answered his wordless plea, another slave with dark skin gripped the old man's hand and helped him back onto his feet. The younger man tried to see if the older man was alright, but the two were shoved back to work by one of the guards.**

 _ **"DELIVER US! THERE'S A LAND YOU PROMISED US!**_

 _ **DEILVER US TO THE PROMISED LAND."**_

"I know what we're seeing is bad, but I think I really like the song's tune." Velvet freely admitted, the same went for others in the audience.

"Uh, yeah, same here. That's not wrong in this instance is it?" Neptune asked Alaric, the Keeper only shrugging his shoulders at them and took a bite of a spring roll. Again, how he was able to eat through a solid porcelain mask without a hole for his mouth really confused the audience.

But seeing that he didn't seem to mind or care if they enjoyed the song being played over slaves toiling in the desert, the all audience decided that they did indeed enjoy the song, but hated what was happening onscreen. Well, almost all of them.

I'm sure I don't need to name names, do I?

 **The camera now panned away from the massive construction sight, away from the great and orderly structures of the slaves' owners, and to a place that was the complete opposite. Some distance away from the great palaces and temples, was a sprawl of roughly constructed hovels, no doubt the slaves' homes.**

 **In the streets of the Israelite settlement, a woman looked out through her home's window as soldiers armed with spears, sickle-like khopeshs, and large rectangular shields, ran through the streets of the settlement.**

 **The woman moved away from the window, and pulled something from within her long shawl. That something being a baby, a baby probably a few weeks or a couple months old in fact.**

 **"Yaldi hatov ve'harach.**

 **Al tira ve'al tifh'ad."**

"Awww, that's a cute little baby!" Ruby squealed when the woman revealed the baby boy. Over by Roman, the criminal rolled his eyes at the scene onscreen and at Ruby's adoring words, the man didn't really care for children.

"What was that she said?" Weiss questioned, the language the woman spoke in was unfamiliar to her and everyone else in the audience. Fortunately, Alaric was kind enough to translate the woman's words for them.

"'My good and tender son. Don't be frightened and don't be scared.'"

"Oh," the young huntress-in-training said upon hearing Alaric's response. "But why'd she say that to her baby? And what are those soldiers doing there anyway?"

Alaric shared a look with Jeanne. They both knew what was going to happen, Jeanne had even gone ahead to say a silent prayer for strength and for the Israelites. The two refused to answer Weiss' question, but the audience were already feeling a sense of apprehension for unknown reasons, so they girded themselves for what might happen next.

 **She looked lovingly at her son, in the background, her two older children, a boy and a girl, Aaron and Miriam for the Author and the reader's convenience, looked on.**

 _ **"My son, I have nothing I can give.**_

 _ **But this chance that you may live,**_

 _ **I pray we'll meet again.** **If He will d**_ _ **eliver us!"**_

 _ **Hear our prayer, deliver us!"**_

 **The guards were running through the streets, moving from home to home under the direction of officers. A woman tried to bar a soldier entry into her home, but was roughly shoved aside by the soldier. What the audience saw next horrified many.**

 **In the home was a cradle, and in it was a newborn baby boy. Without any hesitation, the soldier walked up to the cradle and raised his kopesh to kill the baby boy. The audience were spared the sight of the horrible deed, but had to watch as the soldier emerged with a bloody kopesh, leaving the baby's weeping mother at the doorway.**

The audience was thankful that they did not witness the baby's death, but the knowledge that it had happened made their stomachs turn. Even Jeanne, who had heard of the killing of the Israelites' children during sermons a few times before, found it hard to actually witness the act.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a minute here!" Taiyang hurried said in alarm, his hands covering Ruby's eyes. The audience had seen plenty of deaths during their time here in the Repository, but watching the deaths of children was something that all of them did not expect.

"Why are they doing this?!" Salem questioned with a horrified voice and look on her face.

"Well, like I said earlier, these slaves a minority Egypt. Thing is, the reigning Pharaoh, the Egyptians' god-king, felt threatened by their increasing numbers, so he ordered all newborn Hebrew boys killed as a cruel form of population control. Giant dick move, and I'm unsure if it was actually well thought out to be honest." Alaric explained to his audience.

Everyone in the audience could agree that the killing of the Hebrew newborns was exceedingly cruel, and just like what Alaric had said, might not have been well thought out. Sure the acting of killing the Israelites' newborn children would inspire fear into them, but it might also inspire an even greater sense of resentment in them, and that resentment might lead to a slave revolt. There were a fair few examples in Remnant's history of faunus slaves overthrowing their masters after acts of great cruelty towards them.

The only thing that stopped more from happening, and might stop the Israelites from rising up against the Egyptians, would be their fear of their masters and lack of weapons to use against them.

Either way, the audience could do nothing but keep watching the events onscreen. With most hoping that this viewing might end on a lighter note.

 _ **"FROM DESPAIR, THESE YEARS OF SLAVERY GROW TOO CRUEL TO STAND."**_

 **The woman and her two children, the mother carrying her baby in her arms, while Miriam carried a basket or ark made of bulrushes, ran through the streets of the settlement. Making sure to avoid the guards whenever they appeared.**

 _ **"DELIVER US! THERE'S A LAND YOU PROMISED US!**_

 _ **DEILVER US OUT OF BONDAGE AND...**_

 _ **DEILVER US TO THE PROMISED LAND."**_

 **The mother and her children were able to escape from the guards and the settlement and ran for some time until they reached the nearby river. It was a large river, capable of having large boats traverse it at the same time. The three soon found a secluded and well hidden spot at the riverside.**

"Phew, thank goodness they got away." Jaune said, relieved that at least one baby was able to escape.

"Are they going to hide the baby here?" Ozpin asked the Keeper, silently hoping that the child would be hidden and safe. The deaths of the Israelite newborns hit him harder than most in the audience. Since, you know, he actually _saw_ his own children die at the end of his first reincarnation.

"In several universes they do. Here, it's a little different." The Keeper responded, raising a few brows in the audience. This was a good place to hide the baby, why weren't they going to do that?

 **The three knelt together by the riverside, Miriam laying the ark on the ground, while the mother knelt before it and began to sing to her youngest child one more time as she gently put the infant into the ark.**

 _ **"Hush now, my baby. Be still, love, don't cry.**_

 _ **Sleep as your rocked by the stream.**_

 _ **Sleep and remember my last lullaby.**_

 _ **So I'll be with you when you dream."**_

 **The baby fell asleep, a peaceful look on his face. The mother kissed her youngest child on his forehead, then placed the small ark's cover over the baby boy. After that, she took the ark in her hands and wadded a short distance into the river until she was waist deep into the water.**

 _ **"River, oh river, flow gently for me!**_

 _ **Such precious cargo you bear."**_

 **She then laid the ark on the river, and, with some hesitation, let the ark go. Allowing the river to ferry the ark away to who knows where.**

 _ **"Do you know somewhere** **he can be free?**_

 _ **River, deliver him there."**_

 **The camera focused on the mother's sorrowful face as she watched the ark be taken away by the river's current. Tears beginning to fall down her cheeks as she did.**

The parents, and those who aspired to have children one day, found it hard to imagine letting a child go. The scene moved the audience even more because the incredible sadness that the baby's mother sung to her newborn. All in all, it was a very emotional scene for many in the audience to witness. So emotional that it brought tears to a couple people's eyes.

"Dude, are-are crying?" Sun asked his best friend, Neptune. The blue-haired huntsman-in-training and junior detective, did indeed have a tear streaming down from his left eye and was even sniffling a bit. Realising this, Neptune quickly wiped the tear away, and tried to remain 'cool'.

"I'm not crying! Dudes don't cry!" Neptune wasn't fooling anyone, but they let it go.

"This... This is certainly different from how I know how this happens," Jeanne spoke up. It was indeed different, for she knew who this baby was, and was surprised to see his mother send him away on the river's current instead of hiding him amidst the vegetation. Alaric had informed her that things would ultimately play out in the same way she knew them to, but with a few exceptions and tweaks here and there. She took him on his word and continued watching the events onscreen.

"What's that baby's name anyway? Does he even get one?" Yatsuhashi inquired to Alaric and Jeanne.

"He does get one, you'll hear what it is and where he gets it later on." Alaric said before pointing back towards the TV screen. "A name that becomes very important in three religions in Jeanne's universe."

That piece of information really caught the attention of the audience. So the baby would grow up and do something so important that he became famous in three religions? That was actually impressive if it were true. Now a bit more intrigued, the audience focused on the screen and continued to watch events unfold. As was mentioned before, many hoped this viewing would end better than it had started.

 **While the mother and Aaron watched, Miriam followed after the ark from the river. The ark first floated on a gentle current, but the river waters became rougher and faster as it came to the parts where the river was wider and more dangerous.**

 **A crocodile attempted to snap its crushing jaws on the ark, but was stopped when hippos suddenly emerged from the river and started fighting each other. The ark was flung a small distance into the air by the hippos a couple times, but no harm was done to the ark nor the baby inside.**

 **The daughter, having lost sight of the ark for a moment, gasped when she saw that it had been caught in the fishing net of a passing boat. It was able to fall free of the net, but that was not the end of the dangers the river offered. For two large boats passed by, the ark floating between them and now in danger of being struck by the boats' many oars. It avoided that fate, but was almost crushed when it was hit by the prow of another boat.**

 **But again, the infant in the ark was spared from death, as the ark was simply moved aside and floated down another path in the river. A path that led to great palace. The pharaoh's palace.**

"Okay, that was highly dangerous. Did the baby's mother know what kind of dangers were in this river?" Winter disapprovingly said. She was glad the baby and the small ark had survived, but there had been too many close calls for her liking.

"Um... yes." Alaric replied after a brief pause, causing his guests to send him bewildered looks. "This river, the Nile, is one of two longest rivers in Jeanne's world. It acts as Egypt's primary source of water, transportation of goods and people throughout the kingdom, and like you, got more than a few hungry mouths in it. My guess is that she took the baby's mother took her chances, and hoped the baby would end up somewhere better than being killed by the Egyptians or growing up as a slave."

Hearing that, the audience couldn't really fault the mother's reasoning for sending her child floating down the river, but the dangers of the act made them question the wisdom behind it. Most just agreeing that it would have been better if they just hid the baby somewhere in the riverside and came back for it later.

Turning their minds away from the infant's many brushes with death during his journey down the Nile, the audience turned their minds to the palace that the baby was now heading. It was large and many correctly guessed that it was probably the pharaoh of Egypt's palace, causing many to worry about what might happen next.

According to Alaric and Jeanne, the infant did survive to grow up, but that didn't stop the audience from worrying anyway.

 **The ark drifted past some transparent curtains that led to a pool-like area in the palace. Playing in the river water was a woman, the Pharaoh's wife and queen, and a young boy, her eldest son, while the pair were being looked on by two handmaidens. The Queen was wearing a white dress, a thin, transparent robe, a few articles of gold jewellery, and a large wig made from human hair. The handmaidens were similarly dressed, but less richly than their mistress. Meanwhile, the boy wore a skirt, golden anklets and bracelets, and wore the hair on his mostly shaven head in a side-lock hairstyle.**

 **The Queen did not notice the ark until it drifted up and bumped her leg. She was surprised to be sure, but quickly moved to investigate the ark. Handing her child to one of the handmaidens, the Queen reached out and lifted the ark's lid. Miriam was able to sneak up to the palace and watched with bated breath from a hidden spot.**

 **To her relief, the Queen smiled adoringly at the sight of the now awake infant in the ark, and was quick to take him into her arms. Going so far as to plant a kiss on the baby's forehead before proceeding to leave the pool. As the Queen took the baby away, Miriam quietly sang to her baby brother from afar.**

 _ **"Brother, you're safe now. And safe may you stay.**_

 _ **For I have a prayer just for you.**_

 _ **Grow baby brother. Come back someday.**_

 _ **Come and deliver us, too."**_

 **As she was done singing, Miriam left her hiding spot and started to head back to the Israelite settlement.**

"That was actually nice to listen to, and the way she sang was cute." Pyrrha remarked, earning a few nods of agreement from others.

Those were some high hopes that Miriam placed on her little brother, but the audience were glad that she knew her brother was in relative safety. Speaking of her brother, other members of the audience had something to say about this miraculous turn of events.

"That child was very fortunate to end up where he is," Cinder mumbled under her breath. And she was right, the baby was very lucky that the Queen accepted and seemed to genuinely love this child that she found in an ark that mysteriously drifted into the palace's pool.

"A child of Israelite slaves being taken in by Egyptian royalty? Huh, what are the odds?" Yang spoke up, not really seeking an answer to her words.

 **"Mummy," the Queen's son said to his mother as she passed by him and the handmaids.**

 **"Come Ramesses," the Queen said to her biological son. Having already decided what to do with the baby she found in the ark. "We shall show pharaoh your new baby brother. Moses."**

 **The camera panned up from the scene to an aerial view of the palace.**

 _ **"DELIVER US! SEND A SHEPHERD TO SHEPHERD US!**_

 _ **AND DELIVER US TO THE PROMISED LAND!**_

 _ **DELIVER US TO THE PROMISED LAND!**_

 _ **DELIVER US!"**_

 **And with that last verse, the screen suddenly cut to black.**

Seeing that it was over, the audience started to express their rather... mixed thoughts on what they just saw.

"The first two-thirds of that viewing was... dark." Oscar spoke up first.

"Horrifying is probably a better word to describe it," Glynda added. The mothers and fathers in the audience agreeing with the two, even Raven. She still cared for Yang, she just preferred not to show it, and cared for her daughter in her own special way. A special way that other people might interpret as her being a _terrible_ mother.

"At least Moses was able to get away. That is the name we should call him right?" Blake asked Alaric, receiving a single nod from the Keeper in response.

"Is that all? I would actually like to see what happens next," Ren stated.

"No. I got another extract from this universe to show you, and for you to understand what happens, lemme explain a few things to you quickly." Alaric replied. As he sat up in his throne and prepared to go ahead with his next bout of exposition, Jeanne enthusiastically jumped in

"Can I help?"

Alaric took a moment to think on the idea. He was amused by Jeanne's excitement, and guessed that he could let her say a few of the interesting details. It would save him some breath if he let her. Reaching a decision, Alaric turned to Jeanne and said.

"Eh, sure. But let's make this quick, I really want to show you this thing I have in mind. After being adopted into the royal family, Moses grows up in the pharaoh's palace, that is, until he kills an Egyptian man who was brutally striking an Israelite. He runs away, finds a new home, gets married, and lives as a shepherd for a while until..."

The Keeper stopped and pointed at Jeanne. Seeing that it was her queue to speak, Jeanne sat up straight and began to speak.

"The Lord spoke to Moses through a burning bush, and told him to go back to Egypt and urge the pharaoh to free his people." A couple in the audience blinked when they heard the mention of a talking burning bush, but shrugged it off. It could be weirder, and they had seen and heard weirder, so a god talking through a burning bush wasn't the strangest thing to them. Odd how they can say that now.

Once Jeanne was done with her sentence, Alaric stepped in and continued going into a bit of detail about what happened next.

"Of course talking to the new pharaoh, his own adopted brother, didn't really work out. So, Moses and the Israelites turned to their god for assistance, who would go ahead and rain ten plagues on the Egyptians. The first being..."

"The Nile turning to blood and all the fish in it dying. But pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites go, so the Lord went ahead and unleashed the nine other plagues on the Egyptians." Jeanne finished. She turned to Alaric to confirm whether or not what she said had indeed happened in this universe, and was happy when the Keeper nodded in satisfaction.

The audience needed a couple minutes to digest that information, but Alaric did not give them that time, and let the TV screen begin to play the events that happened after the first plague.

 **The screen slowly faded to the view of the same place were Moses was discovered in the ark, the liquid in the pool was no longer blood and had returned to being water. A serving girl was collecting water from the pool with a jar when she noticed movement in the water.**

 **To her alarm, a frog emerged from the surface of the water. And then another, and another, and another, and another. In seconds, over a hundred frogs had emerged from the water, filling the air with their croaks. Horrified, the serving girl dropped her jar and ran into the palace, the voices of many men and woman singing in the background as the frogs started to hop into the palace as an uncountable swarm of green amphibians. The voice first a barely audible whisper, now becoming load and clear for all to hear.**

 _ **"SINCE YOU REFUSE TO FREE MY PEOPLE**_

 _ **SINCE YOU REFUSE TO FREE MY PEOPLE (SINCE YOU REFUSE)**_

 _ **ALL THROUGH THE LAND OF EGYPT...**_

 _ **I SEND A PESTILENCE AND PLAGUE**_

 _ **INTO YOUR HOUSE, INTO YOUR BED**_

 _ **INTO YOUR STREAMS, INTO YOUR STREETS."**_

"That's a lot of frogs," Mercury said with a full mouth of popcorn in his mouth.

"Those would indeed be a great nuisance," Salem nodded. It would certainly be a ghastly experience to have thousands of frogs swarm your country, but it wasn't too horrible. "At least people aren't dying."

That last remark made by Salem caused several in the audience to flinch, and even brought out a few annoyed groans. The woman from Remnant's ancient past turned around and looked at everyone with a worried look. Had she said something wrong?

"You just jinxed things, lady." Yang said with a shake of her head.

"Jinxed?" Salem said with a puzzles expression on her face. Oscar said that Remnant had no magic, but why did Yang say she 'jinxed things'? Was jinxing a way to accidently curse something?

 **The serving girl ran into a room where a tall, lean man and a short, fat man dressed in white robes and fine jewellery were feasting. The looked in confusion at the distressed serving girl as she ran by, but shrugged it off and continued with their small feast. The fat man raised a golden goblet to his lips to drink from the wine it held, but pushed it away when the wine the goblet had held was turned into a swarm of lice. Same went for the bread on the table.**

 _ **"INTO YOUR DRINK, INTO YOUR BREAD."**_

"Ewww!" Nora loudly exclaimed when the insects began to appear from almost everywhere.

"Are those lice?" Weiss questioned, recoiling at the sheer number of insects and how they appeared to come out of nowhere.

"Yeah all the dust in Egypt got turned into lice. Dust was everywhere, even in the food, so yeah." Alaric informed his audience.

This was a step up from the hordes of frogs and would probably be more disturbing to the people of Egypt, but that seven more plagues happened meant that the pharaoh did not give in to Moses' demands after this. Several in the audience were now wondering just what next the Hebrew god would unleash on the Egyptians, all of them agreeing that they would get progressively worse.

 **The scene changed to a field of dead livestock. The entire field was littered with the dead bodies of cattle, sheep, goats, and other such creatures. Another scene showed a man waking up in the middle of the night to find lice crawling all of him.**

 _ **"UPON YOUR CATTLE, ON YOUR SHEEP.**_

 _ **UPON YOUR OXEN IN YOUR FIELD.**_

 _ **INTO YOUR DREAMS, INTO YOUR SLEEP.**_

 _ **UNTIL YOU BREAK. UNTIL YOU YIELD!"**_

 **The screen then cut to the Pharaoh, Ramesses, a well-built man wearing a white skit, and a headcloth crown worn over his head. He was sat in his throne room with his firstborn son on his lap, when suddenly, a horde of countless flies flew into the throne room and fell upon all within.**

 _ **"I SEND THE SWARM. I SEND THE HORDE.**_

 _ **THUS SAITH THE LORD."**_

Those who had been wondering what would happen next were right in how the plagues would get progressively worse. Though, none of them pat themselves on the back for guessing it.

"So, a disease that killed all, or almost all, of Egypt's livestock. And a swarm of flies to attack everyone. That's four and five plagues," Jaune surmised what just happened onscreen.

"Yeah, and the Israelite's god is not even getting into the serious stuff. No wait... yeah, after these is when he decides to get serious." The Keeper spoke up as he sipped from a tin soda can, his words being met with very surprised looks.

"You mean he wasn't already?!" A few audience members said together, dumbfounded by the idea. What happened next proved Alaric to be unfortunately right.

 **A fully grown Moses was then shown looking down on Ramesses' city as the hordes of flies and frogs descended upon it. He wore a long red robe, short dark brown hair and beard, with a tall wooden staff in hand. A mournful look on his face as he watched.**

 _ **"Once I called you brother**_

 _ **Once I thought the chance to make you laugh, was all I ever wanted."**_

 **The flash of lightning was seen, and the crack of thunder heard from above. Above all of Egypt, dark clouds began to fill the sky. Joining the thunder and lightning, fiery hail fell on the city, setting many trees and other flammable objects alight.**

 _ **"I SEND THE THUNDER FROM THE SKY.**_

 _ **I SEND THE FIRE RAINING DOWN."**_

The audience could now see what Alaric meant by the Israelite's god 'getting into the serious stuff', but wasn't killing Egypt's livestock already pretty serious? The loss of so many animals would put a serious dent in the kingdom's ability to feed itself and perform trade with other nations. That the pharaoh didn't let the Israelites go really spoke of his stubbornness, or foolishness. Either of the two really.

 _ **"And even now, I wish that God had chose another**_

 _ **Serving as your foe on His behalf,**_

 ** _is the last thing that I wanted!"_**

 _ **"I SEND A HAIL OF BURNING ICE.**_

 _ **ON EVERY FIELD. ON EVERY TOWN."**_

 **Moses was then shown walking amidst the chaos in the city. No lightning or hail striking him or doing him any harm. He surveyed the chaos, and saw people and what little livestock remained huddled away in what shelter they could find.**

 _ **"This was my home.**_

 _ **All this pain and devastation, how it tortures me inside.**_

 _ **All the innocent who suffer,**_

 ** _from your stubbornness and pride."_**

 **The scene then cut to a view of the pharaoh sitting on his throne, an unflinching look on his face as the plagues kept descending upon him and his people.**

The destruction being caused to the city, and the sadness Moses felt for all that was happening, pulled on the heartstrings of many.

Jeanne, who had only heard of the Ten Plagues of Egypt from listening to sermons at church, started to realise how hard it must have been for Moses. She'd honestly never considered it before. He'd spent most of his early life in Egypt, lived as one of the Egyptians, grew up together with Ramesses, and must have known many of Egypt's officials and nobility. This experience in Alaric's Repository was definitely different to the sermons.

While they felt sympathy for Moses, the audience grew increasingly annoyed at Ramesses' seemingly unwavering commitment to not give in to Moses' demand despite everything that was happening. Surely his advisors and people must be crying out to him to just give in by now.

 **Now, clouds of locusts descended on the Egyptians fields and all vegetation that had survived the hail. So great were the locusts' numbers, they completely covered great swathes of land as they feasted on the Egyptians' crops.**

 _ **"I SEND THE LOCUSTS ON THE WIND**_

 _ **SUCH AS THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN.**_

 _ **ON EVERY LEAF, ON EVERY STALK.**_

 _ **UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT OF GREEN.**_

 _ **I SEND MY SCOURGE, I SEND MY SWORD.**_

 _ **THUS SAITH THE LORD!"**_

"As if all that wasn't enough, he had to send locusts?" Ozpin uttered. As he watched, his mind had drifted to the extinction of the original human race at the hands of the God of Darkness. The God of Light had not gone into any details about what happened, and his Salem's account of what happened he held in doubt. But if this was a god trying to force a king to let his people go, Ozpin was not sure he could imagine what the God of Darkness must have done to destroy all of the original mankind.

 _ **"You who I called brother.**_

 ** _Why must you call down another blow?"_**

 **Another scene change showed the guards in the palace covered in boils, many were in fact on their knees. Ramesses walked up to one and forced him onto his feet, and then stormed offscreen when he saw Moses looking on in the distance. The chorus and Moses continuing to sing.**

 _ **"I SEND MY SCOURGE, I SEND MY SWORD."**_

 _ **"Let my people go."**_

 _ **"THUS SAITH THE LORD. THUS SAITH THE LORD."**_

 **Ramesses then walked into the fat and lean men from before treating their boils with all kinds of ointments. Infuriated at them, the pharaoh knocked the table with the ointments and ordered the two men out. Now alone, the pharaoh looked out his palace and clenched his fists when he saw Moses standing outside and completely unharmed by any of the plagues the Hebrew god had sent. Now, it was his turn to join in the song.**

 _ **"You who I called brother**_

 _ **How could you have come to hate me so?**_

 _ **Is this what you wanted?"**_

 _ **"I SEND THE SWARM, I SEND MY SWORD."**_

 **Ramesses looked out at the devastation the hail was causing to his city, and then at horrified reaction his citizens felt when the boils appeared on their skin. His face shown no signs of wavering, in fact, Ramesses' eyes only seemed to burn with an even greater resolve.**

 _ **"Then let my heart be hardened.**_

 _ **And never mind how high the cost may grow.**_

 _ **This will still be so:**_

 ** _I will never let your people go!"_**

Now many were shaking their heads at Ramesses' act of stubbornness. His people were suffering terribly at the hands of the Israelites' god, and still he refused to concede to Moses and his god's demand. They were now starting to question his motives for refusing. Was it because of the Israelites' value as a labour force? A want to not acknowledge the power of a foreign deity? Or as it something as petty as personal pride?

Regardless, his refusal was causing unnecessary suffering for everyone. Both to himself, his people, and Moses. And there were still more plagues to come, more suffering to endure, and more tears to be shed.

"What would it take to make this guy crack?" Coco wondered aloud.

"Something devastating," Alaric spoke up.

"All of those plagues have been devastating," Weiss remarked.

"A special kind of devastating." The Keeper went on to add to his prior words, refusing to go into detail about it to the few people who asked. Jeanne knew what the plague that will break the pharaoh would be, and kept her mouth sealed as per her agreement with Alaric.

 **The screen then split between two views of Moses and Ramesses. The former sadly looking on, while the latter angrily stormed away. Now, Moses, Ramesses, and the Chorus sung the final verse of the song.**

 _ **"I will not let your (My) people go!"**_

 **As soon as they were done singing, the Hebrew god's ninth plague then fell over all of Egypt. The skies turned pitch black as total darkness engulfed everything, apart from the Hebrew slums which remained unaffected.**

 **And with that, the screen turned to black.**

Seeing that the viewing was over, the audience turned to Alaric and expressed a bit more of their thoughts on it.

"That was rather intense," Ren stated about the events they had seen.

"Really intense," Blake added to his statement. There might have been better words for the two to use to describe the events of the viewing, but those they used would do.

"The pharaoh let the Israelites leave Egypt in the end, right?" Jaune asked his female counterpart next to him. Jeanne looked to Alaric, who nodded back to her, and quickly confirmed to her alternate self that the Israelites did indeed leave Egypt.

"Hey, you said that there were ten plagues. I counted nine," Emerald pointed out. She was right, they had seen eight plagues, the first being told to them, but they had not seen the tenth plague of Egypt. Since it was the last one, the tenth must have been the one to break the pharaoh and convince him to give in to Moses and his god's demand.

"You _really_ want to know what the tenth was?" Alaric asked her, a devious smirk behind his mask.

"Ummm," Emerald responded. She honestly didn't know if she wanted to know.

"Really?" The Keeper continued.

"Uhhh," Mercury joined in almost comedically.

"Really?" Alaric repeated, the tone he was using annoying his guests.

"Hey, stop that-" Qrow started to say, but was interrupted by the Keeper.

"Reeeeeeeeeally?"

"Stop, we don't want to know if you keep doing that!" Winter yelled at the Keeper.

"I'll tell you anyway!" Alaric said, ignoring Winter's words.

"Damn it!" Winter, Qrow, Mercury, Emerald, and several others in the audience cried aloud as the Keeper began to explain what the tenth plague was, and what happened after.

"The Israelite's god, or his angel of death, smites all the firstborn of Egypt. Including Ramesses' son. That finally made Ramesses give in, and allowed Moses and the Israelites to leave. But, he then thought it a smart decision to renege on that decision and chased after the Israelites with his army. The Israelites were able to get away, largely thanks to some divine intervention where their god parted a sea for them to cross. Oh, and he then crashed said sea on the pursuing Egyptians."

Hearing what happened made the audience go silent, needing a few minutes to digest what they had just been told. Plenty were glad that the Israelites were able to get away, angry that Ramesses went back on his decision to let them leave, and amazed at what Moses' god had done to help them escape. Still, what the Hebrew god had done to the Egyptians did leave quite the impression on the audience members.

"That god was pretty powerful... and harsh if I'm going to be honest. Actually, I think that's an understatement." Ozpin remarked, several others agreeing with him

"Eh, there are worse gods. There's a god of sky and thunder out there that's essentially a serial rapist if I must be brutally honest." Alaric shrugged at Port's words. "And besides, this one mellows out a bit after a while."

"Why?" Ruby then went on to ask him.

"He had a son. Well, in this and several other universes he does. In others he doesn't. Eh, it doesn't matter." Alaric said with a dismissive wave of his hand as he took out his remote and prepared whatever universe he wanted to show them next.

* * *

 **And there we are, another chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse' completed.**

 **Don't know what to do for the next chapter, but while I think on what to do for the next update I will work on the Destiny: Regicide chapter. Again, that chapter is going to be a big one.**

 **For now, I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	34. Three Kingdoms: Confrontation at Guandu

**Author's Note:**

 **Right, here we go again. Welcome to Chapter 34 of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'.**

 **The stuff here is from Three Kingdoms, a Chinese TV series released in 2010 that is a live action adaption of events portrayed in the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' novel. Discovered it last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the scenes with Cao Cao.**

 **Some of the numbers you see in chapter were taken from the tv series, as such were exaggerations on the series' producers part.**

 **To my fellow players of Dynasty Warriors, I've popped one or two references to the game series in the chapter.**

 **I'll admit that while writing the second half of this chapter's audience reaction, I hit a bit of writer's block. So, the reactions might be less meaty and feel a bit rushed when compared to the first half.**

 **One last thing; allow me to address something I noticed after I put up last chapter. That something being the three or more requests from readers that I do a chapter on the Passion of Christ, particularly the crucifixion of Jesus. I will _not_ do a chapter on the aforementioned subject. I will _not_ do a chapter on any religious material requested by readers; be they of the Abrahamic faiths, Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other religion. Any material that I do make a chapter on is based on _personal_ choice.**

 **I took a risk with the last chapter, and I almost did not do it due to how I was unsure people would react to it. I'm glad it was generally well-received, but all mentions of religiosity in the chapter were done for the sake of context. _CONTEXT_.**

 **With all that out of the way, let us go ahead with the chapter.**

* * *

 **Three Kingdoms - Confrontation at Guandu**

Alaric finished readying the next universe he desired to show his audience, and turned to them to speak.

"Right, the events I'm going to show you are going to be quite interesting. But to help you understand, this all takes place in a land known as China, during the final years of an empire ruled by the Han dynasty. It's the Han's final years due to how they kept giving power to court eunuchs, then to regional warlords. Now, the only real power in China are those warlords. What I'm going to show you is a confrontation between two particular warlords fighting for hegemony over China."

"Huh, this sounds interesting," Salem said aloud. It was strange, but when it came to conflicts, she felt oddly drawn to them, no matter their horror or even her own personal thoughts or feelings.

"Yeah, you could turn all the events that happened in this time period into a book." The Keeper remarked, knowing full well that they were.

"Book?" Oobleck suddenly butted in at the mention of his second favourite thing in the world. The first being history.

"Is there a fight scene in it? I've been dying for one since that universe with the Skaven," Yang spoke up and voiced her desire for some real action. There had been some in the last two, but nothing like a good old fight.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Alaric teasingly replied.

And with that, the Keeper pressed the play button on his remote.

 **The screen came to life, and the audience saw two armies standing opposite one another in an open field surrounded by hills. Amidst one of the armies, a man in iron lamellar armour with a red-plumed helmet, and wearing a red cape that hung from his shoulders, was sat on a carriage-chariot. The man looked to be in his late-40s, his age showing through the man's greying red hair. He then stood up and looked curiously at something between the two armies, the same went for his advisors and closest generals.**

"Is that Adam Taurus? An older Adam?" Blake asked Alaric. He could be Adam's father or even some other relative of his, but she was certain that the man onscreen was her former mentor/lover.

"Yeah. Here, Adam is General-in-Chief of the Han empire, though really, he just got it as a form of placation from his political rival. That rival being the same warlord he's facing on this battlefield right now." Alaric answered.

The audience, those who had heard of or knew him anyway, frowned at the idea of Adam Taurus of all people being an empire's chief military commander. Especially Ghira and Blake. And that he had not properly earned it, but was given it because of politics, made the audience think less of his appointment to the position.

"What are they looking at?" Penny questioned. Everyone else was also asking this question, but they didn't need to wait long for answer.

 **The camera panned down to the centre of the field to reveal a peculiar sight.**

 **There, sat seemingly unconcerned by how she was between two armies ready to do battle, was a woman sat at a table beneath a large umbrella and on a red rug. The identity of the woman was something that the audience could not instantly make out, for the sun was to her back, and her facial features were shadowed.**

"Who's that? And why is she just sitting there?" Yatsuhashi asked the question that was going through everyone's minds.

Meanwhile, Cinder felt an icy sensation in the base of her skull. She looked on with interest at the seated woman, for the same sensation also drew the half-Maiden to her.

 **An unarmed rider on horseback bearing a small red and black flag rode up to the front of Adam's army. As he approached no one raised a weapon to attack him. The rider came right up Adam's front rank of mounted cavalry and gave his message to the warlord.**

 **"Lord Taurus, Prime Minister Fall invites you over to have tea and a chat!" Their message delivered, the rider went back to the other army.**

"'Prime Minister Fall'?" Cinder instantly blurted out in surprise. Was this 'Prime Minister Fall' her?

"Yeah. This you is an alternate version of a famous warlord known for their cunning, efficiency, ambitiousness, and ruthlessness. Also a bit of a poet as well. I myself have a level of admiration for the man," Alaric mused to himself. "She was made Prime Minister of the Han because she has the Han Emperor under her protection."

Cinder mulled over the information that the Keeper had told her and the rest of the audience. Personally, Cinder would have preferred it if she were an Empress, but she could imagine having the Emperor in her possession must have quite a good many benefits and advantages to it as well. Who knows, maybe this other version of Cinder was biding her time to make herself the emperor of a new dynasty. It's what she would do.

With those thoughts in mind, Cinder looked on the events onscreen more intently.

 **Adam took a moment to think over the request from the Prime Minister and enemy.**

 **"That villain Cinder Fall has always been full of tricks. My lord needs not heed him!" One of his advisors in a white-grey robe called out to him. To those who knew him, they recognised the advisor to be Leonardo Lionheart. "Simply order the troops to pounce on them immediately!"**

 **"No," Adam finally said. "This battle today will be inscribed in the annals of history, and spoken of for ages to come. Our army resonates with the majesty of the Heavens, and victory is in our grasp. I can take that villain's head in a fair and open battle. There is no need for stealth."**

 **Adam's mouth turned into a smug grin before turning to Lionheart and continuing to speak.**

 **"Let the troops stand by. Fit the bows but do not fire yet. I'm curious what she has to say, when doom is already hanging above him."**

 **"My lord, you musn't be careless!" Lionheart continued to protest. Adam, however, wouldn't hear a word of it.**

 **"Just watch me make a fool of her," Adam said with a point of a finger at Cinder's direction. He then descended from his carriage-chariot and began to confidently, but also** **curiously,** **walk up to Cinder.**

"Ugh, I've never met him, but his voice annoys me so much." Yang grumbled. She still could not explain this spite she felt for the leader of the White Fang cell of Vale, but she felt like he had earned it for some reason. And it was not because he was a prominent member of the terrorist group, there was just something that made Yang despise him.

"Huh, what's your _beef_ with him, Yang?" Ren remarked. This illicited a markedly strange reaction from other members of the audience, most of whom looked at Ren with amazed looks on their faces.

"Did-Did you just... make a pun?" Yang asked the Mistrali boy, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"Um, yes," Ren confirmed. He then noticed the odd looks he was receiving from everyone else. "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

" _*Sniff*_ My little Ren-Ren's all grown up," Nora sniffed with joy. She then took out a hankerchief from nowhere and dabbed the area under her eyes with it.

Ren was confused by everyone's reactions, very confused, and looked to the rest of their team for an answer. Problem was, they too where in this amazed state. Did he really not make jokes often enough that people were stunned when he did? He wasn't _that_ quiet, was he?

Others who were less interested in Ren's sudden pun, had turned their focus towards the fact Cinder, Adam's enemy, had invited him to tea.

"This is a trap," Ironwood stated. The only other reason that he and several others could think of why Cinder would invite Adam to tea was to try and negotiate something. Either way, everyone could agree that Adam was being careless right now.

"What did he mean by Miss Fall being a villain?" Glynda curiously asked the Keeper.

"Oh, well, this version of Cinder has done some pretty questionable stuff, and earned a reputation for deviousness. But the thing that makes everyone hate her is because she has the Han Emperor and uses him for her own agendas," Alaric explained. "She's a better custodian when compared to the last one the emperor had. That last guy was a tyrant. A _HUGE_ dick, a dong if you will. He also wore shoes and walked while in the presence of the emperor, can you believe that? Walked? Tch, unforgivable!"

The mention that the emperor's last protector was a tyrant helped the audience understand why this Cinder might be a better guardian for the Han emperor. But Alaric left the audience rather confused when he mentioned that walking in the emperor's presence was the worst thing the emperor's previous guardian had done. Why it was a bad thing in the first place was even more confusing. They guessed that the Keeper was probably just joking with them.

 **The camera cut to a view of Cinder. She was older than the one in the audience, she looked to be in her forties if the audience could take a guess. She wore a deep-red dress under a black overcoat that fell down to her ankles, long sleeves, and wide cuffs. All of it accentuating her curves. As soon as Adam was a couple metres away, Cinder stood up from her chair, a smile on her face as she did, and greeted Adam warmly.**

 **"Hahaha. Brother Benchu, I trust you've been well?"**

 **"Thank you for you kind thoughts, Mengde." Adam coolly replied. "Each day treats me better than the last; with each passing year we thrive more and more."**

"Why'd they call each other that?" Emerald questioned, curious why the two had addressed each other with different names.

"Courtesy or style names. In this time and land, people had their given name at birth, and a courtesy name to be used upon becoming an adult." Alaric quickly answered the green-haired thief. An interesting little bit of information if the audience were to be honest.

Yet, it was the seemingly familiarity that Cinder and Adam greeted each other, and the apparent friendliness in Cinder's voice, that caught the audience's attention.

"Wait, were Cinder and Adam... familiar with each other in this universe?" Mercury inquired, curious of the exact relationship his boss and the White Fang cell leader in this universe. Said boss sent Mercury a critical glare for being the one to go down that road.

"Yep, childhood friends. Though, I don't think you need me to tell you that the word 'friends' is applicable to describe their relationship right now." Alaric grinned at Cinder, able to use his powers to read what her thoughts on this information.

Over by Cinder, the thought of being 'friends' with Adam Taurus made her shudder with contempt at the idea. Her? Friends with the edgeboy who couldn't get over his neko girlfriend leaving him? She'd sooner give up her Maiden powers than be 'friends' with Adam, and she had no intention of giving them up. Not now, not ever.

 **Cinder let out a short, genuine laugh at hearing Adam's words. She then walked up to the other chair at the table and swept any dust off of it with one of her sleeves.**

 **"Brother Benchu, go ahead." Cinder said once she was done.**

 **"Aren't you the prime minister of the nation? Why be so deferential?" Adam questioned Cinder.**

 **"They all say that I am the prime minister in name, but the prime traitor in reality." Cinder said after letting out another short laugh. "Brother Benchu, as my elder you are entitled to primacy. Have a seat!"**

The audience looked on Cinder's apparent friendliness to Adam with suspicion. It was already strange that she had put herself in such a dangerous position, but the way she acted towards Adam made the audience wondering what she was planning. She was most definitely planning something.

 **"Thank you then," Adam said after a moment's pause. He were still on guard in case Cinder pulled anything, a sign of that was the warlord had kept a hand on the grip of the sword at his side.**

 **As soon as Adam was sat down, Cinder began preparing tea for the two of them. Acting completely unfazed by the hard stare of suspicion she received from Adam. Done readying the tea, Cinder sat down as well and looked at Adam. Their face was set in an expression that told Cinder and the audience that they were trying to figure out whatever it was that she was planning. Cinder chuckled at this, and began to speak to Adam.**

 **"Our relationship really goes way, way back. Since we were children we were best pals. I still remember the days when you brought us all around Luoyang to play. In the day we'd bring out hawks to hunt, and at night we'd party and have fun. What happy days those were!" "Sometimes I think, wouldn't it be nice if people don't ever have to grow up?"**

"You certainly didn't, _brother_." Raven spoke up, directing her snide remark at Qrow.

"I did grow up Raven. I grew up from being a damn bandit to a respectable Huntsmen," Qrow shot back at his sister.

It looked like the two might start a fight, when suddenly, ropes burst out from nowhere and bound the two Branwens to their seats. When they tried to pull against the ropes, the lengths of rope would only bind themselves around the two even tighter.

"Tch, tch, tch. Naughty, naughty." Alaric disapprovingly said to Qrow and Raven as he wagged a finger at the two. "Though I am tempted to let the two of you fight, I can't allow it. Now, sit tight, behave, and at the start of the next viewing, I will let you go."

The two Branwens made one last effort to break free, but the rope was too strong for them. So, the two gave in to Alaric, sent each other one lasted heated look, and relaxed on their seats.

 **"Cinder, you are pretty thick-skinned to still talk about those embarrassing things." Adam said, choosing not to meet Cinder's eyes as he spoke.**

 **"A man or woman must not forget his beginnings," Cinder countered Adam. "Just because we are both important officials of the court and pillars of the state doesn't mean we should cover up embarrassing things from our past. As the saying goes, there is no mortal who has not erred."**

"Hmmm, wise words those." Ghira uttered in agreement with the words Cinder spoke of regarding people's past. Ghira himself made no effort to forget or hide the fact that he was once the White Fang's High Leader, despite its ever growing notoriety under Sienna Kahn. Others in the audience also agreed that people should never forget their origins, and that every person did something wrong in their lives.

Some a lot more than others.

"Really? He thinks going out hawking and partying at night to be embarrassing?" Coco snorted. She'd never gone hawking before, but partying at night wasn't exactly something she considered embarrassing.

"They got into a whole lot of other stuff than that," Alaric said with a smirk behind his mask.

 _"Like what?"_ Neo asked Alaric through her sign.

"Hmmm, lemme think. Ah, I know! There was an incident in their youth, where the two disrupted and caused a panic in a wedding, abducted the bride, and proceeded to rape her. They were able to get away with it because Cinder was the adopted daughter of a court eunuch that the Emperor liked, and Adam was from a prominent noble family."

That... that was quite something to hear. Cinder had a scandalised look on her face, completely taken aback by the news that _she_ of all people would participate in such an act. Others in the audience felt uneasy upon hearing that this version of Cinder and Adam had performed such a heinous act of carnality. Because, y'know, they raped a bride on her wedding day.

"And you say that you admire the person Miss Fall is an alternate of in this universe?" Glynda questioned Alaric.

"Not for that, of course." Alaric quickly defended himself. "I like the warlord for his great skill as a ruler and military leader, and his abilities as a poet. I'd recite one of his poems for you all, but I don't think we have time right now. So just keep watching."

 **"Mengde, I'm not here to reminisce with you. If you have something to say, hurry and say it." Adam sent a quick look over his left shoulder at his amassed troops behind him. "The men in my ranks are already getting restless."**

 **For the umpteenth time, Cinder laughed again, but her face quickly turned serious and shifted forward in her seat.**

 **"How should I put it? Good brother, you have come with 700,000 men to attack me. It is a wise move indeed. You are right to do so." Cinder said to Adam, prompting him to let out an amused snort.**

 **"Why do you say that?" Adam questioned Cinder.**

 **"Because, if this battle was delayed for another five years, you are certain to be defeated, and I am certain to win."**

"A very... bold claim to make," Ozpin uttered. He was unsure of the veracity of this other Cinder's claim, but could admit the boldness of saying it straight to her opponent's face.

Alaric decided to use this opportunity to both verify the truthfulness of the Cinder's words, but to also explain the balance of power between the two warlords.

"She isn't wrong. Adam has the advantage in manpower and has already established himself as one of the most powerful warlords of the land, having control over four provinces. Cinder's power is still burgeoning, controlling only two provinces, but she is too ambitious to be content with that and will seek to expand her power soon. It was a smart decision on Adam's part to attack Cinder now of all times. Though, sooner would have been much more advantageous."

"Why didn't he?" Winter asked, knowing full well from her years of training and experience that the timing of an attack was just as important as its soldiers and where the attack was meant to strike.

"Eh, refusal to listen to sound advice from his advisors and indecisiveness." The Keeper replied with a shrug.

 **"Now, though... I am not your match." Cinder admitted with a sigh.**

 **This time, it was Adam's turn to laugh.**

 **"I realised that long ago. How could I wait another five years?" Adam smugly questioned Cinder. "Oh, Mengde, since you know the outcome of this battle is already decided, you might as well surrender to me now. Spare those tens of thousands under your banner from having to follow you to the grave."**

"Just you wait, you arrogant..." Sun muttered under his breath. He'd only heard of the guy through Blake, and from what he'd heard, the guy was a major dick.

"I want to shove my fist up his ass and work his mouth like a puppet." Yang growled, mimicking the action with her right arm. Quickly getting scolded by her father and teachers.

"Seriously Yang, what is up with you?" Ruby questioned her sister. The young scythe-wielding huntress-in-training was concerned for Yang, for she'd never acted this way towards someone. She knew that Adam was a bad person, but there was something behind Yang's attitude towards him that made Ruby worry for her.

Meanwhile, Cinder was silently thinking on what this version of her might be planning. She would never do something like this, not unless she had a plan in place. A distraction for a surprise attack maybe? If one was careful enough, they could sneak a force of warriors through the hills surrounding the field and attack the enemy's unsuspecting flanks.

 **"But you know what I'm like," Cinder quickly rebuffed Adam. "I'd rather die than surrender."**

 **"Then why are we wasting our time?!" Adam almost yelled, shooting to his feet as he did. However, Cinder was not done talking, and waved for him to sit back down.**

 **"Hey, good brother, good brother! Even though I am unwilling to surrender, I am willing to sue peace with you." That caught Adam's attention, making him pause as he was about to walk back to his forces.**

 **"Sue for peace?" Adam asked, both cautious and intrigued.**

 **"Or maybe I should say plead for peace? Beg for peace? Whatever you like," Cinder suggested.**

 **Adam, though wary of a potential trick, this was Cinder after all, decided to humour her and sat back down. He was genuinely interested to hear what she had to say, and maybe, if she were serious, he might not have to waste men and resources battling Cinder here. He'd already lost two of his best generals in a previous batte with Cinder's forces.**

 **"Cinder, oh, Cinder. Your glib tongue alone cannot trick me into withdrawing."**

 **"I wouldn't dare to trick you," Cinder replied in her most convincing tone. Not that it actually did convince Adam of her honesty. "In sooth, I am suing for peace. Good brother. If you are willing to withdraw right now, I am willing... to give up the six commanderies of Xu province, leaving only Yan province for myself. Moreover, I swear, I will never vie with you for hegemony."**

 **What Cinder offered Adam was very favourable for him, perhaps, too favourable. The two then proceeded to stare at each other for a while. Adam reached a hand up to his beard and stroked it thoughtfully as his mind raced to think of the advantages and disadvantages of the offer, as well as the ulterior motives behind it.**

 **"Is that said in earnest?" Adam finally said.**

 **"In order to prove my sincerity, I have brought along a pledge for my entreaty." Cinder replied. She then moved to the side on her seat and pointed at something amidst the ranks of her soldiers. "See that?"**

 **Adam stood up from his chair and squinted his eyes as he gazed at the thing that Cinder was pointing at. Her finger was directed at a carriage, more importantly, _who_ was in the carriage. A man in his late 20s with tan skin and black hair, wearing fine clothing and a rectangular crown on his head. This was no ordinary person, they were Emperor Oscar of Han.**

"Is that Oscar? Is Oscar... the Han emperor?" Ren asked, recognising the crown to be alike to those worn by the royalty of an early kingdom or empire of Anima. His own family was descended from the people of that old realm. If he recalled correctly, it was called the 'Mianguan'.

"Sure is," Alaric confirmed. "But all Oscar is here is a puppet. A symbol which warlords can use to legitimise their power and influence other lords."

"Oh, well that's..." Oscar started to say but just gave up. The boy was sadddened to learn that this other version of himself was a puppet, a tool, and resented the idea of being one. The farmboy wanted to be someone, sure he was an emperor here, but he wanted to be someone that could do something with the power he had.

 **Adam sat back down and refocused his gaze towards Cinder.**

 **"Really, the pledge of your entreaty is the emperor of the Han himself?"**

 **"Is he not enough?" Cinder questioned Adam in turn, making her tone sound as if she had been hurt in some way. "Could he not be the object of your longing, good brother? If you withdraw now, please take the emperor with you. From today onward, the imperial court will be housed in Jizhou, _your_ capital. And the one to coerce the lords will be you, the great General Adam Taurus."**

 _"She's really buttering him up, eh?"_ Neo wrote on her sign and 'said' to Roman. The notorious criminal was quick to agree with his short henchwoman.

"Buttering him up so he can be ready for a fire," Roman snorted. He'd had to suck up to 'business associates' before, and sometimes he'd done so with the intent to stab them in the back later down the line. Both figuratively and literally.

 **Cinder was right, Adam had wanted the emperor for the same reasons Cinder had wanted him when she took him under her protection years ago. To solidify his legitimacy over the land as its most powerful regional warlord through the use of Empeor Oscar's name, and then rule all of China as its de facto leader.**

 **"The emperor is nothing but a burden in my hands, because you are stronger than me, and you will campaign against me." Cinder continued on with her case, sounding almost desperate. "However, when the emperor is in your hands, no one will dare attack you. To put it bluntly, how will it be different from you being emperor yourself? And you won't have to worry about being labelled a usurper either! Good brother, even if you are not ready to ascend the throne just yet, at any point from now on you can simply remove him and make yourself emperor."**

 **Adam did not answer Cinder. Cunning devil that she was, Cinder had correctly guessed his intentions, figured out his plan. The Han dynasty was not even a shadow of its former self. The land was ruled over by well over a dozen warlords. He could bring them to heel, and reunify all of China under his own dynasty. A dynasty that would eclipse the glory of the Han, and reign longer than the Han's four centuries of rule**

 **"What do you think?" Cinder eagerly asked Adam.**

"He's such a fool," Raven suddenly remarked from her bound position on her chair. "He's been told that Cinder has a reputation for deviousness, and probably knows that from personal experience, but he's actually believing her?"

"Eh, the Multiverse is full of fools. Plenty of them bigger than him," Alaric shrugged at Raven's words. "And besides, what's worse? Being a fool? Or being a coward?"

Raven sent the Keeper a glare, knowing that he had directed that comment about being a coward at her. Alaric sent the bandit chief a taunting glance, before turning back to the TV screen.

 **The camera cut away from Cinder and Adam's conversation, and was now focused on Adam's advisors and generals.**

 **"Advisor Lionheart, what's Father there talking to Cinder Fall about?" One of the generals asked Lionheart, that general being Gilroy Taurus, one of Adam's sons. "Can they really have so much to discuss?"**

 **"Our Lord Taurus and that villain Cinder Fall used to be companions in mischief in their youth. They've got a long and tangled history together," Lionheart quickly responded. "However, that devil Cinder has always been wicked and deceitful. She must be stalling for some ulterior motive."**

"Adam has a son in this universe?" Blake questioned Alaric, a bit stunned by this little revelation.

"Three." Alaric corrected her, raising three fingers of his hand to emphasis that point. "Gilroy's his second son. Don't worry Blake, he didn't have them with you."

 _'Lionheart... working for Adam Taurus.'_ Ozpin thought to himself. The lion faunus Headmaster of Haven was not a brave man if Ozpin was to be honest, and was no longer as great a warrior he used to be. If he was to be honest, Ozpin did have his doubts regarding the man's reliability as a member of his secret order.

Seeing him in the service of Adam Taurus made the Headmaster of Beacon feel... Ozpin wasn't even sure how he should feel about it. There was something. _Something_. But he just couldn't tell what that something was.

 **"What motive?" Gilroy asked, unable to think of one for himself.**

 **"I can't say for sure yet." Lionheart slowly muttered back to Gilroy.**

 **Again, the camera cut to a different scene, this time to a force of cavalrymen numbering about 40,000 strong flying Cinder's banners. At their head was Mercury Black, who, unlike his counterpart in the audience had a moustache and goatee. He wore iron lamellar armour, and wielded a pair of battle axes.**

 **Mercury and his unit of cavalry rode hard amidst the hills around the field that the two main armies were rallied at, and soon came into sight of the rear of Adam's army and charged with all speed towards their unsuspecting foe. Adam's soldiers would detect them the closer they got, but by that time, it would be too late for them to launch an effect defence.**

"Stalling for an attack on the enemy's rear, clever." Ironwood stated, guessing that this was the true reason that Cinder was talking to Adam.

Yang snorted as she tried to suppress a laugh, the blonde seeing the potential for a dirty joke in what Altesian General had said. The same went for Taiyang. Like father, like daughter I guess. She certainly didn't get it from Raven, that much I'll say.

Mercury himself took a moment to admire his alternate self. He wasn't really into the whole facial hair thing, preferring to remain clean-shaven, yet he had to admit that he looked kind of cool in that get up. That his counterpart was working for Cinder was a bit of a downer, but what could he do about it?

"Hmmm, they're no knights." Jeanne hummed thoughtfully. "But they're still heavy cavalry, and a surprise attack by them can inflict major losses to that Adam fellow's troops and morale."

The young woman was right about the use of heavy cavalry, General Ironwood, Professor Oobleck, and Ozpin silently agreeing with her. Ironwood and Oobleck because of how they had learnt of the use of such units through studying military history. Ozpin because he'd been a part and victim of such cavalry charges, and could attest to their impact on an enemy army if he ever felt like it. Which was damn unlikely.

"Quite true, milady. Especially when led by a highly capable and legendary commander," Alaric commented. His words piquing Mercury's interest. "Oh yeah, this version of you is a legendary general and warrior under Cinder. In the future, he'll beat back an army of 100,000 men with only 7,000 soldiers under his command. A contemporary writer going on to list him as one of Cinder's 'Five Elite Generals.'"

"Really? Heh, I think I'm starting to like this version of me." Mercury smirked upon hearing he was a badass in this universe. He sent a smug look at Emerald, who only rolled her eyes at him.

 **Cut back to Cinder and Adam, the latter was finally done internally debating on Cinder's offer and made a counter demand to help sweeten the deal to his favour even more than it already was.**

 **"To sue for peace, it is not sufficient for you to hand over the emperor. You must cede the city of Xuchang as well."**

 **"Xuchang is my capital. If I cede Xuchang to you, where would I call home?" Cinder asked Adam.**

 **"Do you still have another five commanderies of Yan province?" Adam was quick to point out. "That's enough to be your power base."**

 **Cinder then made an effort to look as stressed as possible. Trying to act like a man desperately attempting to negotiate with a lion while his back is to a cliff edge.**

 **"Yan? The province is so small. The people are few. I wouldn't be able to support my army. It'll be hard enough to keep myself safe there, let alone build up a power base!" Cinder said in an almost whining manner. "My good brother, I've already agreed to cede Xu province. I've also added the emperor to the deal. Do give me some breathing space, please?"**

The Cinder in the audience cringed at the sight of her onscreen counterpart pleading to Adam. Cinder knew this was an act, she knew herself well enough to know when she was lying or being truthful. Yet the sight of her grovelling, genuine or fake, made her sick inside.

 **"Every time you go on campaign you field your army at Xuchang." Adam said to Cinder, who was now looked at the floor almost pitifully. "Worthy sister, if your are unwilling to give up Xuchang… how am I supposed to believe your sincerity?"**

 **Cinder opened her mouth to reply, to argue against giving up her capital and seat of power, but stop herself. She tried again, but for the second time did she quick shut her mouth. Finally, Cinder found the words to argue against Adam's demands.**

 **"If I give up Xuchang, my officers will think I am a coward and a second-rate leader. They're going to mutiny and take my place!" Cinder almost sounded as if she were genuinely pleading to Adam. "And in the case I die, who is going to maintain this truce? And if one day they decide to field an army against you, wouldn't that be quite a nuisance to you?"**

 **Done almost making her case, and while Adam looked down in thought, Cinder looked over her shoulder and at the sun behind her. It was quite high in the sky now. She then turned back to Adam and took up her cup of tea.**

Unlike Adam, the audience took note of the way Cinder had glanced towards and began to question why she'd done so.

"Huh, why'd she do that?" Fox questioned. "Is it part of her plan with Mercury's attack?"

Alaric said nothing, leaving the audience to guess what it was that Cinder was up to.

 **"Come, let's have some tea." Cinder said to Adam. Adam complied, but as he held up his tea, he squinted when he noticed that the sun was in his eyes. Cinder saw this and urged her old friend to drink with her. "Come."**

 **Together, Cinder and Adam drank their cups of tea.**

The audience saw how the light was in Adam's face, and quickly figured out why Cinder had looked to the sun.

"She's having the sun to your back so you can limit the enemy's visibility," Winter muttered aloud. "An intelligent tactic to help counter Adam's numerical advantage. Still, it will take a lot more than that to win."

"Hang on, how many soldiers does Cinder have anyway? Adam has 700,000, what numbers does she have?" Jaune asked Alaric. The red haired warlord had said Cinder had brought 'tens of thousands' of soldiers, but had not stated an exact number.

"About 70,000 elite troops." Alaric answered, absolutely shocking the audience upon learning the steep numerical difference between the two armies. That Cinder was daring enough to face Adam on an open-field spoke either of her confidence or foolishness, maybe both actually.

"70,000? 70,000 against 700,000?" Weiss gasped in surprise at the Keeper's answer to Jaune's question.

"Hehehe. If you judge an army by the number of its soldiers, Adam would be the greater. If you judge an army by the skill of its soldiers and resourcefulness of its leader, three Adams tied together will be inferior to one Cinder Fall." The Keeper continued to say.

The audience remained silent, for they knew that a skilled smaller force could defeat a numerically superior one if they were skilled and clever enough. Such conditions was actually the norm for Huntsmen and Huntresses when it came to fighting the Grimm. Still, this difference in numbers did make the audience unsure of who might win if the two warlords did send their armies to fight.

 **Back over by Adam's army, Lionheart, his nerves aflame with suspicon and unease, looked to Gilroy and relayed orders to him.**

 **"General Gilroy, wait no more! Sound the gongs and let Lord Taurus know to come back and prepare for battle!"**

 **"Yes, sir!" Gilroy replied, quickly urging the horse under him to move forward, but was stopped when another voice called out to him.**

 **"No, wait a bit longer."**

 **It was another of Adam's advisors, Corsac Albain. Just like Lionheart, he wore white-grey robes, with a hat atop his head. His face told everyone that he was confident, not just in himself, but also in his lord.**

 **"Look, when Lord Taurus is sipping tea with Cinder, he maintains an air of superiority and composure, whereas Cinder looks like she is begging something or another of him."**

 **"What would that villain beg for?" Gilroy asked, unsure of how to act.**

 **"He's either offering peace or capitulation," Corsac responded. Lionheart, meanwhile, had begun to stroke his goatee in thought. "Young Master, if Lord Taurus doesn't look worried, he must feel vicotory is certain. Wait a bit longer. Perhaps we can win without fighting."**

 **"Master Corbain, do not forget how devious and cunning that villain is." Lionheart spoke up. "If this drags on any further, our soldiers will become frustrated as well."**

"Corsac," Ghira muttered to himself. Not at all surprised that one of the Albain twins was in Adam's service. For the two White Fang representatives were strong supporters of not just their organisation, but also Adam if his contacts were right.

 **The camera moved to a shot of Cinder's army. The front ranks had parted, and what came out from the disciplined lines of soldiers was not something Adam, nor the audience, could have expected. It was not some great champion decked out in the finest armour, bearing a legendary weapon that had tasted the blood of a thousand men, nor atop some mighty steed. Not some contraption that could lay waste to thousands in seconds. Not even carts of gold or loot.**

 **What walked out from the Cinder's army and onto the field, was a group of two dozen pretty-faced women bearing trays of wine.**

"Ummm, what is going on?" Velvet questioned, confused, just as everyone else was, as to what was going on right now.

"Hello ladies," Qrow, Neptune, and Mercury whistled at the sight of the group of women. Earning a few eye rolls from the other audience members.

"Why's she sending out women with wine?" Oscar asked.

"Ooh, is she going to poison all of Adam's army?" Nora suddenly cut into the conversation.

"Nora, that's not possible." Ren said, attempting to reign in his childhood friend's excitable and hyperactive imagination.

Whatever was going on, the audience were intrigued by the women's unexpected appearance, and wondered what Cinder was planning. They already knew Cinder had launched a surprise attack on the enemy army's behind, but what else she had up her sleeves was something that the audience were still wondering.

 **"What are they doing here?" Adam questioned Cinder, pointing a finger to the women. The women passed by Cinder and Adam and continued to walk towards Adam's army, one of their number stopped by their table and began to prepare some wine for the two. "What are they doing?"**

 **"Hmmm? Brother, these are maids from the imperial palace, bringing wine that the emperor grants his warriors." Cinder explained to Adam, the man sat opposite her eyeing the maid with suspicion while she spoke. "Good brother, the emperor has nothing but appreciation for you. He wishes so much to beat swords into plowshares, so we may both return in triumph."**

 **Adam sent a glance past Cinder and towards the emperor in his carriage. He then stood up from his chair, put his hands together in a respectful gesture, and loudly cried out to the emperor**

 **"Your servant thanks his liege." Adam then followed up this words with a reverent bow of his head.**

 **After Adam rose his head back up, Cinder got onto her feet too, taking her cup of wine in her hand as she did.**

 **"Good brother, whether or not we end up fighting or making peace, as enemies or friends," Cinder then raised her cup of wine, "let's drink a cup together, hmm?"**

 **Adam did not immediately take up Cinder's offer, staring long and hard at her in search of any signs of deception. He finally did take up the cup offered to him, and together, the two old friends drank all of the contents in their cups.**

 **"Sit down, sit down, Brother." Cinder insisted to Adam in a friendly manner. The warlord still looked at her with suspicion, but sat down like she had asked. However, Adam was starting to find it hard to look at Cinder due to how the sun's light was now right on his face.**

 **Cinder noticed this too, and pretended to look back towards the emperor, but was in fact looking to the sun's position in the sky. The prime minister smiled at this, disguising it as a smile directed at Adam.**

"When is he gonna realise he's being played?" Taiyang said with a shake of his head. The guy was too overconfident, and it had been way to easy for Cinder to convince the Adam into believing her.

"Not soon enough," Alaric stated with a chuckle.

 **Cut to Adam's army, Lionheart looked on in confusion as the palace maids approached the mounted horsemen at the front ranks, and started to offer wine to the soldiers. After hours of hard marching, the soldiers at the front eagerly received the wine offered to them, and even started to flirt with the maids.**

 **"You good-for-nothings! Scoundrels! Are you here to fight or flirt?!" Lionheart yelled at the men in the front ranks. In this most crucial of moments, the discipline of the great army of Adam Taurus could not be allowed to break down because of wine and pretty women. "I hereby order all of you to shoo those women away! Hurry up! Shoo them away!"**

 **The more discipline troops in the front ranks acted quickly, levelling the tips of their spears at the maids and ordering them to leave. Those who had more eagerly welcomed the maids, were slow to act, and did not make any attempt to shoo the maids away. The maids, for their part, hurried away from Adam's soldiers and headed back to Cinder's army.**

"Heh, cockblocker." Qrow muttered as he watched this, he'd experienced that plenty of times before.

One occasion was during an assignment that took place during his last year as a student of Beacon. He was getting cozy with some pretty village girl who looked like she was really into him, but he got dragged out of the village by the rest of Team STRQ before things could get serious. A shame, she seemed like a really nice girl if Qrow was to be honest.

 **Lionheart felt a sense of danger and looked around the battlefield as if searching for something. Finding his horse to not be an elevated enough position, Lionheart dismounted from the creature, hurried up onto Adam's carriage-chariot, and cast his gaze towards the back of his army.**

 **"Cinder's army is before us, not back there." Corsac said to Lionheart with a smirk on his face.**

 **"General Gilroy, lead a unit of heavy cavalry in person and ride posthaste to the back of our army." Lionheart urged Adam's second son. "Careful the villain does not raid us from the back!"**

"'Raid us from the back'," Mercury snickered alongside Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow. There were others who were also amused by what Lionheart had said, but chose not to show it. Most of the audience members disapproved of the dirty joke made by Mercury, and frowned at the four who showed their amusement.

"Please, get your minds out of the gutter." Glynda scolded those who found the last sentence Lionheart had said to be funny in a dirty way.

 **Lionheart turned back to the field, but turned his head away when the sunlight caught his eyes. At first it was nothing, but then, Lionheart's mind clicked and he realised why this was happening. Why Cinder had wanted to speak at length with Adam. Why she made both armies wait so long.**

 **The sun was now in a prime position behind her armies back, meaning it would now be difficult for Adam's troops to face Cinder's due to the sun's light in their eyes. No doubt Cinder, the villain that she was, had sent a force to attack them from behind as well.**

 **"O' heavens! It's over! It's over!" Lionheart shouted in dismay. "General Gilroy, hurry and get Lord Taurus back behind our lines!"**

 **The camera returned to Cinder and Adam. The two were sat back down and were once again discussing the terms of the peace between once withdrew from the field.**

 **"After you cede Xuchang, I promise I will never raise arms against you ever again." Adam said to Cinder. "On top of that, I will petition the emperor to make you Regent-General and Protector of Yan province. You'll enjoy endless wealth and honour to the end of your days."**

 **"Hm. Thank you for your magnanimity, Brother," Cinder replied. A sly smile graced her lips as she continued to speak. "Hehehe. Adam, if I were you, I would never agree to a truce with Cinder Fall. I'd only make a great tomb of marble for her.** **That's because, for as long as there is breath in her, Cinder Fall will never be defeated in battle!"**

 **Gone was the friendliness Cinder had used to make herself approachable to Adam. Gone was the respectful and reverent front Cinder had put up to sucker up to Adam. Gone was the desperation and pleading that Cinder had used to appear weak in front of Adam.**

 **What Adam and the audience now saw was the real Cinder Fall. Cunning. Devious. Ruthless. A woman whose ambition cannot be stopped.**

 **The Cinder onscreen now began to laugh right at Adam's face, while the warlord just looked at her with an infuriated expression.**

 **Cinder got up from her chair and left Adam with his anger, prancing back to her lines and waving her arms like a child that had pulled off a successful prank on their chosen victim.**

The Cinder in the audience frowned at the way her alternate self ran back to her lines. Cinder loved the way she threw back the veil of kindness and mocked Adam for his foolishness. She should do that sometime later, maybe to the so-called 'friends' she'd made in Beacon, or even to her universe's Adam once his usefulness was over. Trying to collapse the Kingdoms was hard work, she should have a moment to gloat once in a while.

 **Adam looked on as Cinder disappeared behind her army's front ranks, the angered look on his face had given way to one of incredulity at how she had tricked him.**

 **"Father, please come back immediately." Gilroy called out to him from behind. Adam's son and general rode up with a small retinue of cavalrymen and dismounted as soon as he was a few metres away from his father. "Father, please comeback immediately."**

 **Gilroy pulled Adam away from the table and the two began to retreat back to their lines on foot. That was when Adam started to hear a commotion in the distance, a commotion caused by men fighting somewhere, but he could not place where the noise was coming from.**

 **"I haven't given the orders to attack yet! Where is this noise coming from?" Adam questioned his son.**

 **"Father, Cinder's cavalry is attacking us from the rear!"**

 **"What?!" Adam turned back to Cinder's army and shouted with all the force and fury he could muster. "Cinder Fall! You are the vilest of all vile scoundrels in the world! I swear I will chop you to pieces!"**

 **Cinder was now atop her own carriage-chariot, a stern look on her face as she looked on as Adam retreated behind his men. She took up her jian sword and pulled it from its scabbard with a loud ring of metal. Raising the weapon above her head, Cinder loudly declared to all her generals and soldiers.**

 **"Punish the rebels in His Majesty's orders! Charge!"**

"Ooh, fight time! Sweet!" Yang gleefully said, clapping her hands together and eagerly rubbing them together as she spoke.

"Haha, yes! Break all of their legs!" Nora cried out at the TV screen. Nothing new here.

"Adam looked like he was about to throw a tantrum for a moment, guess he kind of did there." Neptune smirked at Adam's shouted words.

Others; such as Ozpin, Oscar, and Cinder, noticed how the Cinder onscreen had phrased the order for her troops to attack as if it were a decree from the emperor. Now, the audience were unsure whether or not Emperor Oscar had given such an order, but if they were to be honest, they doubted that it was the case. Alaric had mentioned that Cinder used Emperor Oscar as a political tool to legitimise her actions, so they had good reason to doubt the warlord.

 **Another scene change saw the camera now focus on one of Cinder's generals, Emerald. Hearing the war drums sound, the green-haired general began to give out commands.**

 **"Archers! Fire!"**

 **Quickly, ranks upon ranks of Cinder's archers raised their bows and shot a volley of arrows at Adam's army. Like a storm of hail did the arrows fall on Adam's troops, many finding their making and slaying many of the soldiers in the front ranks. They had seen the arrows coming, some were even able to raise their shields in an attempt to defend themselves, but most were blinded by the sun as they tried to track where the arrows would land and died shortly after.**

 **Cinder's archers fired more volleys of arrows, cutting down more of Adam's troops, and causing what was left of the front ranks to slowly retreat in an attempt to get out of the archer's range. The audience were even able to catch sight of one of Adam's troops who decided to had stand his ground. He actually tried and succeeded in swatting way two arrows with well timed swings of his sword, but was cut down by two more despite his valiant display.**

"Oh hey, look at that Emerald! You're in this one too!" Ruby said to Emerald, pointing at the older female's counterpart onscreen.

"Uh, yeah. I see that Ruby," Emerald replied to Ruby's words.

Emerald was... well, she took being a subordinate to Cinder in another universe far better than Mercury did when he learnt he was one of Cinder's generals. She was actually kind of glad. Especially since it seemed that her counterpart onscreen had a high position in Cinder's army.

"For your information, this Emerald is actually a cousin of Cinder's, and one of her top generals. Above even the 'Five Elite Generals.' She was a stickler for rules and regulations, yet a skilled and valorous military general in her own right." Alaric informed the audience, specifically Emerald.

Now, it was Emerald's turn to send a Mercury a smug look. The grey-themed young man rolled his eyes the same way she had when he revelled in his badassery.

 **Adam's men were no idle, however, and had prepared their field trebuchets with boulders and fiery shot. With a single word of command, the trebuchet crews fired their artillery at Cinder's charging soldiers. Cinder's soldiers were an elite force, but Adam's artillery made quick work of them. Crushing them, breaking their bones, cracking their skulls, and setting them on fire. Soon, these troops were forced into a rout.**

 **"Chariots, charge!" Adam ordered the large number of chariot-riders he had brought with his army. His orders were quickly relayed and the chariots charged forth towards Cinder's lines. What few soldiers of Cinder's who were still on the field were quickly cut down by the chariot-riders' blades or run over by the chariots themselves.**

 **"Shields! Forward!" Emerald ordered the men at the front ranks.**

 **Soldiers with rectangular shields as tall as them moved to the front of Cinder's army, forming a shield fence. Meanwhile, soldiers wielding spears as tall as a man and with speartips almost as long as their forearms, stood behind the shieldbearers and pointed their weapons outwards to meet the oncoming charge of chariots. Behind them stood more soldiers with tall halberds and dagger-axes or ji.**

 **As her men braced for the charged, Cinder took of her black overcoat and threw it aside. She then undid her upper garment, leaving her only with a t-shirt like inner garment. Cinder entrusted her sword to a soldier, who in turn handed her a pair of drumsticks. With both drumsticks in hand, Cinder began to beat the war drums herself, motivating her troops as the enemy drew nearer.**

 **Finally, the chariots did come. Spearmen thrust their polearms forward, killing horses as they were about to crash into the shield fence. Shieldbearers braced themselves and grit their teeth as horse and chariot crashed into their formation, several getting crushed or knocked aside, while others remained standing. Some horses jumped over the shield fence, but their chariots could not follow them and were knocked over when they collided with the shieldbearers, the riders getting crushed by their own chariots.**

 **Any gaps in the shield fence formation were exploited, and chariots started to run rampant behind Cinder's front ranks. Men were crushed under the hooves of horses or the wheels of chariots, while the charioteers stabbed at men with their spears. It was absolute chaos, a blow to Cinder's army's morale as they watched the chariots plow their way through their comrades.**

 **Yet, Cinder's soldiers started to counter the chariots and avoid their attacks. They backed away from the chariots paths, and getting out of reach of the charioteers' spears. Soon, men with ji put their weapons in front of the chariots' paths, aiming the weapons' scythe-like side blades at the horses legs. This action was able to knock the horses down, sending the chariots and their riders crashing to the ground. In seconds, those charioteers still alive were quickly set uponby Cinder's soldiers like hungry wolves on helpless sheep, and killed where they lay. Other soldiers wielding ji polearms used the side blades to pull men off the chariots and killed them that way.**

 **A group of sword and shield infantry, in a show of great discipline and cohesion, went as far as to form a kind of ramp with their shields when they saw a chariot approaching. As it ran by, one of the chariot's wheels went up the ramp of shields, unbalancing it and sending it toppling over.**

The audience had to admit that the coordination between Cinder's soldier was incredibly remarkable. It took only a couple shouted words for the warlord's soldiers to come together and pull off those acts that allowed them to best Adam's chariots.

"Elite troops indeed," Cinder said to herself. The edges of her lips curling upwards at the sight of _her_ soldiers slaughtering the charioteers. If she had an army of minions like them, with the addition of them being wholly obedient to her and armed with modern technology. Oh, the things she would do.

Sure the Grimm knew that she served their mistress and would not attack her, but they were Salem's servants. Cinder wanted true servants of her own one day. Servants who were capable, loyal, and completely subservient to her. She'd get them one day.

While Cinder was fantasising about her dream evil minions, other people were talking about things not related to being evil.

"Wow! Look at those weapons!" A certain someone, I don't need to tell you who, excitedly said. Sure these weapons weren't jaw dropping or super badass, but weapons were weapons and the ones wielded by Cinder and Adam's armies were classics, so it wasn't bad.

"Hmmm, I must question the wisdom of sending a force of chariots to attack the enemy with very limited support." Oobleck spoke up. His perusal of nearly every historical record on Remnant, making him draw to mind the several occasions where similar such tactics as this resulted in catastrophic defeats for the charging army.

 **With almost all of Adam's chariots decimated, Emerald ordered what cavalry that had not been sent to attack Adam's rear, which there were plenty of, to charge forward. Hundreds of heavy cavalry surged past Cinder's front ranks, while thousands of infantry followed after them.**

 **"Heavy cavalry, forward!" Adam ordered his men, who obediently obeyed their warlord.**

 **Now, the cavalry and what chariots both sides possessed charged towards each other. Loud war cries on their lips. Weapons of sharpened iron and steel in their hands. And brave hearts beating in their chests.**

 **Moments later, both sides collided with each other and the air was filled with the chaos of close-quarters fighting once again. Horses crashed into one another. Their riders' weapons clashed with metallic rings or sunk deep into an opponents' flesh. The infantry who entered the fray soon after the initial crush of bodies, started to encircle Adam's heavy cavalry. Killing horses beneath their riders, or knocking the riders off their horses.**

 **The afterlife would be greeting many men this day.**

 **Adam was now pacing back and forth on his carriage-chariot, his ire growing with each second. Then, he espied one of his soldiers who looked like he was about to retreat. A soldier of his great army retreating? Adam could not, no, would not allow it.**

 **"You piece of rubbish!" Adam yelled and swung his sword at the soldier, killing the man outright. The furious warlord looked around at the soldiers surrounding his position and yelled at them. "Those who advance live! Those who fall back die! Go kill them all!"**

Blake tensed when she saw this. The Adam in her universe had never killed another White Fang member, but he had threatened them with violence, especially when in an angry mood or whenever he felt a member of his cell appeared to be losing heart with the organisation. Probably the only reason he didn't follow through with those threats was because of how word of White Fang members killing each other might worsen their public image even more than it already was.

It seemed this Adam did not have such reservations.

 **"Heavy infantry, charge! Light infantry, charge!" Adam continued to yell out orders. Meanwhile, Lionheart saw how the battle was turning against their favour and tried to tell his warlord this fact, as well as recommend the best action to take in the face of defeat.**

 **"My-my-my-my lord! Our formation is in confusion! In my humble opinion, we must retreat now!"**

 **"No, we will keep fighting! Deserters will be executed! Charge forward, all of you!" Adam responded, ignoring Lionheart's advice.**

 **It was then that both Adam and Lionheart saw Cinder's force of heavy cavalry, led by Emerald herself, break through their central formation. Emerald was in fact leading a unit straight towards Adam's position, cutting down any who stood in her path. From infantryman to cavalryman, nothing could impede her relentless advance through Adam's lines.**

 **"Look, they have already breached out centre! If we don't retreat now, we'll be too late!"**

 **"Never!" Adam refused.**

 **"What are you lot standing there for? Hurry and carry Lord Taurus away!" Lionheart ordered some soldiers. Despite his adamant refusal, Lionheart and the soldiers were able to get Adam off of his carriage-chariot and onto a horse. Orders to retreat were relayed throughout what remained of Adam's formations, causing the soldiers to retreat.**

"Huh, seeing him run from the field with his tail between his leg's is strangely satisfying for some reason." Kali surprisingly spoke up.

"But, Adam Taurus doesn't have a tail." Penny noted, not quite getting what the older cat faunus in the audience had meant.

"It's, uh, a figure of speech, Penny." Ruby quickly told Penny.

"Oh. Thank you for that clarification, friend Ruby! I will remember it for future reference and usage," the artificial human said with a cheery smile.

Again, the audience were wondering what was up with Penny. She was just so strange, in both the way she talked and the manner in which she acted. Did she have a rather sheltered childhood? Did she not have a lot of social interactions with other people? Did she have a special condition?

 **Back with Cinder, she had stopped beating the war drums and squinted hard as she tried to get a view of what was happening through the clouds of dust and tangle of bodies. She saw Adam's banners turn away from her lines and start to disappear past the horizon. Adam was retreating. Adam was retreating!**

 **"My sword," Cinder ordered and quickly received it. She got off from the war drums cart, climbed onto the emperor's carriage, and roughly shoved him to the side as she made her way to its front for a better view of what was going on. Seeing her foe was in retreat, Cinder started to shout to her troops. "Adam is fleeing! Adam is defeated! Go kill Adam! Go kill Adam! If he doesn't die, he will return! Go kill Adam! Go kill Adam! Go kill Adam!"**

 **Cinder then flung her sword into the air. The camera focused on it as it spun through the air before landing blade-first into the ground, embedding itself into the bloodied and corpse-strewn battlefield.**

 **It was here that the screen turned to black.**

Seeing that the viewing was over, the audience started to relax and talk between themselves.

"That was quite something to watch." Ozpin was the first to remark, it had been a while since they'd seen something like that in his opinion.

"Well Yang, you wanted a fight scene, and you got one." Taiyang said to his first daughter.

"Yep, and a pretty intense one too." Yang replied to her father.

"What happened after that battle? Did this other version of myself win the war against Adam?" Cinder asked the Keeper, an intense want to know what happened next burning inside her.

"Hm? Oh yeah, she won. Adam didn't even get the dignity to die on the battlefield, but died due to illness." Alaric chuckled to himself, a bit darkly and with a hint of some disappointment in his voice. "Guy failed to even name an heir, so his three sons fought each other, allowing Cinder to annex their territories in a couple years. Cinder then came close to reunifying all of China, but was stopped by an alliance of two other warlords. She then died twenty years later due to a head disease she'd been suffering from for years."

Cinder was dissatisfied, _greatly_ dissatisfied, to hear the fate of this version of herself. She had expected more, but had been met with the disappointment of learning that the ambitions of one of her alternate selves was stopped by the interference of probably lesser warlords.

With this viewing done, Alaric took out his remote and prepared the next universe for his guests to watch.

* * *

 **There we go, chapter's done.**

 **I named one of Adam's sons 'Gilroy', because it's apparently derived from an Irish surname that means 'son of the red-haired servant'.**

 **The part where everyone is amazed that Ren makes a pun is based on personal experience. As one of the most quiet people in high school and then sixth form, no one really expects you to come out of nowhere and make a quick joke. My old classmates would either laughed at my joke, or be amazed at the fact I made the joke in the first place.**

 **Right, that's all for now.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	35. LFG: This is War

**Author's Note:**

 **After writing a chapter with over a 10k word count, I decided to write this short chapter. I've also decided to add a new guest to the Repository.**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

 **LFG: This is War**

Alaric was done preparing the next viewing he planned for his audience to see. But, before he started the viewing, the Keeper decided to add someone new to the audience. And so, with a snap of his fingers and a loud popping sound, a person fell onto an empty, cushioned chair that appeared amidst the crowd.

The person that the Keeper had summoned was a short, elderly woman with dark skin and silver hair, wearing a dark-blue dress, a heavy blue cloak, and carrying around a wooden walking stick with a top fashioned like a blue skull. Her most prominent feature was the pair of goggle-like prosthetic eyes with bright cyan lens. A large bag of cashew nuts landing on the seat with her.

"What in the-? Where am I?" The old lady yelled the instant she realised she was in a different place to where she was a couple seconds ago.

"Why'd you bring in an old lady?" Weiss questioned Alaric. The 'old lady' didn't take being called that quite well, and was quick to voice her disapproval of the term.

"Hey! Watch what you say, missy." The 'old lady' berated the white-haired heiress. "I may not have real eyes, but my ears work just fine. Now, would someone explain to me what's going on here?"

"Of course, Miss Calavera. Please, bear with me, this may take a few minutes." Alaric replied to the elderly woman. He walked over to her seat, and began give her the same explanation for why and how she was here that he had given to the other members of the audience.

Over by the rest of the audience, they heard the name Alaric had addressed the old woman as, and began to suspect that she was that Maria Calavera that had appeared in their second viewing of the universe with the Guardian and the other one with the Skaven. Though, the old woman with them appeared physically older than the one from that first viewing.

Qrow, who was now free from the bonds restraining him and his sister to their chairs, was trying to figure out just who Maria was. The Keeper had said that he knew her, but how and who she was still escaped him, they had certainly never met before as far as he could recall. He felt like he did know her, and that skull topped stick of hers did heighten that feeling, but still, nothing.

After a few minutes of explanation, Alaric walked back to his seat, while the old woman thumbed her chin and surmised what the Keeper had told her.

"Hmmm. So, I've been abducted alongside these people, and am going to be forced to watch alternate universes for a bored librarian with god-like powers."

"Pretty much," Alaric confirmed as he picked up his remote and prepared to press the play button.

"Ah well," the now identified Maria said with a casual shrug. "I was about to be forced off an airship anyway."

"Wait a second. You're about to be forced off an airship? What did you do?" Oscar asked. The answer he received was both unexpected and extremely odd.

"I brought non-airline issued cashew nuts onto my flight. Can you believe it? If I want to bring my own cashews, I will bring my own cashews!" Maria yelled, waving her walking stick around before grumbling in a low voice. "Blasted she-devil."

That was an odd excuse to be thrown off an airship. Deciding that was enough conversation, Alaric was about to press the play button, but, was interrupted when Talos suddenly walked into the room. The bronze automaton walked up to his master and presented to him a phone ringing in his hand. The Keeper quickly took the phone and answered it with some irritation in his voice.

"Hello? Ah, Ahriman, what is it you need?" Alaric said to the person on the other side of the phone, changing his tone as he spoke to his fellow Keeper. "Hmmm, right now? Shouldn't that be in two months?... _SHE_ has commanded it?... Okay, I'll be there in a moment, just give me a minute to handle a few things here... Right, bye!"

The Keeper handed the phone back to his bronze automaton assistant and got to his feet. He then turned to his guests and told them of a sudden change in plan.

"Right, well, a matter has arisen which urgently requires my presence. Just so nothing fishy happens while I'm gone, I'll be leaving you all with someone." The Keeper then tapped his foot on the ground three times, and, to the audience's shock, his shadow moved by itself and pulled itself out of the ground. Alaric's shadow materialising into an exact pitch black copy of the Keeper, though the shadow had the same golden eyes as his creator.

"Whoa," Sun exclaimed as he watched Alaric inspect his pitch black copy. He had a Semblance that allowed him to create clones of himself, but this was something else.

"Well, this is new." Coco added, lowered her shades to get a better look of the shadow.

"No one here is as shocked as I am about that?" Maria questioned everyone else in the audience, perturbed at how mildly they reacted to what Alaric just did.

"Uh, we've seen some things, Miss Calavera. This isn't too crazy to us," Ruby answered the older woman's question. It was then that Maria noticed Ruby's silver eyes, she was amazed to find another one, and here of all place, but decided to keep her amazement to herself.

"Everyone, this is Alric, my shadow. He'll keep you company and attend to you in my absence," Alaric explained to his guests. It was a smart decision on Alaric's part, for the last time they were left alone, a crazy man in silver power armour had broken in. Still, 'Alric'?

"Real creative name," Roman sarcastically remarked with a roll of his eyes.

"Shut up. I'll be able to keep an eye on you all through him. Now, if you'll excuse me..." As soon as Alaric was done speaking, he disappeared in a tornado of dark-purple smoke. Leaving the audience alone with Alric and Talos.

"Wonder where he's off to," Yang wondered to herself.

"Does it matter? We're still stuck here," Blake stated to her partner. She was right, and Yang could only agree with her.

"Yeah, guess you're right."

Talos promptly left the room as soon as Alaric disappeared, while Alric sat down on Alaric's throne and pressed play on the remote the Keeper left behind.

 **The screen came to life, and the audience were greeted to what at first seemed to be a peaceful medieval town. It was protected by a stone wall and had a castle nearby. But, when the camera moved in closer to the town, they saw that it was anything but peaceful.**

 **The town was under attack by large, fat-bellied, and green-skinned troll-like creatures with long tusks. The creatures were charging through the town's open gate, and flinging large rocks over the town's walls and at the many houses that sheltered behind it.**

 **The camera followed one rock as it flew through the air in an arch and broke open one of the houses. Inside a family of three, not humans, but short gnomes were huddled together in an attempt to hide from the troll creatures. A shadow fell over the family, and, to their horror, a troll wielding a spiked wooden mallet came lumbering into the remains of their house.**

"Oh no! Someone needs to help those... gnome... people." Ruby cried, though she faltered at the end when she tried to find the appropriate words to describe the gnomes.

"Um, is that music I hear?" Maria questioned, and yes, there was indeed music playing in the background. For the readers' convenience, the music being played is similar to that of 'A Whole New World' from Aladdin.

Again, the rest of the audience only reacted mildly to the whole scene playing out if front of them, and the music that was being played. Though, they were a bit confused as to why the music was a bit more positive than they would expect to hear while watching what they were seeing.

"Another one of these, eh?" Port remarked stroking his moustache.

"Another?" The old woman and newest addition to the audience continued to question.

"Yeah, Alaric sometimes makes us watch what are more or less musicals or something along those lines." Jaune responded to Maria's question. "He even made us watch an alternate version of me climb a ladder for about four minutes."

 **The camera then focused on something in the background. From a nearby building's balcony, a man looked on in dismay as the trolls began to ransack the town.**

 **The man himself wore a long brown mantle over a shirt of steel scale armour, dark gloves, dark-green pants, brown boots. He had tanned skin, slightly messy long brown hair, and pointed ears. He took out a lasso and prepared to throw it, and as he did, the man started to sing.**

 _ **"Please just stay where you are,**_

 _ **I will come there and save you.**_

 _ **No one this day will harm you,**_

 _ **If I get to you in time!"**_

 **With that last verse, the man threw the lasso at something offscreen. The rope caught hold of something, another building most likely, and the man swung down from the balcony to join the gnomes as they tried to fight back against the trolls.**

The audience recognised the man for they'd seen him with Salem in that Christmas song viewing, but still did not know his identity. As they were wondering who the man was, Alric took it upon himself to enlighten the audience, and relieve them of their ignorance.

 _Ozma… good and righteous man. Hero among men,_ Alric suddenly spoke up. His voice was low and nearly identical to Alaric's, yet it was also raspy, and sounded as if he were speaking in their heads instead from a mouth. Kind of like when the Keeper wouldn't communicate with them in their minds.

"Ozma…" Salem repeated the name Alaric's shadow had spoken, burning it into her mind. A strange sense of familiarity and a jumble of other emotions came over her when she spoke that name. "Does he exist in my world?"

 _He exists in many worlds, yours among them. Fate will oft bring you together... for good and ill._ Alric responded to Salem, his answer perturbing her and creating more questions in her mind. Questions such as; how does she meet him? Does he help her break out of her tower? When does he break her out of her tower if he does?

Meanwhile, others in the audience noted how Ozma's name was a bit similar to Ozpin's in the way that both men possessed 'Oz' in their names. Was there some kind of connection between the two? They'd never heard of anyone called Ozma before now, not even Oobleck had encountered the name in any of his numerous books or archaeological studies. Ozma clearly looked different when compared to the Headmaster of Beacon, and his voice was different as well. Was it just cosmic coincidence, or maybe something more?

The members of Ozpin's order looked to their leader, silently questioning whether Ozma might be one of his many lives.

Ozpin remained silent and just stared at this alternate version of Ozma. Of himself. He was an elf in this one, but just like that universe where Qrow sang that Christmas song, that was still Ozma. After some many years, lives, and lies, it was strange to look upon his first life again.

"Oh my, isn't he a strapping young man." Maria abruptly spoke up while munching on some cashew nuts, interrupting everyone's thoughts. The rest of the audience sent the old woman odd looks, a bit like the ones they sent Nora when she did something weird, Salem actually sending Maria a defensive glare. But, Maria just waved them all off and said. "What? I can say what I want, can't I? Besides, none of you can deny it."

Maria... wasn't wrong, for a few in the audience did in fact think Ozma was quite a good-looking man. Over by Ozpin, the man was feeling uncomfortable. _Very_ uncomfortable.

 **A woman in dark-blue sleeveless robes suddenly popped into view. Her facial features were obscured by their hood and mask, which only allowed the area around her eyes to be visible, but what they could see was a deathly white skin and completely red eyes. There was a red rhombus-shaped crystal on her chest, dark fingerless gloves, and... a pink apron?**

 **Like Ozma, she too began to sing.**

 _ **"Please just stay right where you are,**_

 _ **When you run the meat gets less tender.**_

 _ **Just lie down and surrender,**_

 _ **Could you marinate in lime?"**_

 **The woman was then shown to be chasing after the same family of gnomes from before, the child held in the crook of her left arm, while his parents were fleeing in terror.**

Now, the audience had at first reacted with dread when they saw the woman, but then they saw the pink apron. Her voice, while one that they might associate with an evil or antagonistic individual, the verses she sang made the audience pause and think on what it was she sung exactly.

"Who is... that?" Weiss questioned. She and many other members of the audience had a strange feeling that they knew who she was for some reason, but couldn't place just who.

 _Salem... An undead warlock._ Alric replied to Weiss, shocking the audience with his answer.

"Me?!" Salem gasped, incredibly alarmed at the revelation that this woman was her. She'd seen different versions of her fellow audience members, but this was something she would never have expected. How she could possess such deathly pale skin was beyond her, and that she would wear such drab coloured robes was unbelievable. And an 'undead'? Was Alric saying that this alternate version of herself was some reanimated corpse?

Other members of the audience, more specifically, those that know or are aware of the Salem in their universe, were struck with shock at Salem's appearance. More so than everyone else. Ozpin and Cinder, probably the only two people in the audience who had seen their universe's Salem, could say that the one onscreen was very similar to the woman they knew. Of course, they would never tell anyone apart from those they trusted that.

 _She and Ozma are members of a group of... protagonists, for lack of a better word to describe them. She likes to kill things. People, cats, dogs, magical beings, innocents. She'll kill pretty much anything for the simple reason of her wanting to._ Alric continued to say to the audience, not painting a very pretty picture about this alternate version of Salem.

The mention of this other Salem being willing to kill anything, particularly dogs, made Zwei whine and jump down from his chair, then leap into Ruby and Yang's arms.

"She... doesn't plan to actually cook those gnomes, right?" Taiyang asked Alric.

The shadow did not answer Taiyang. Alric's unwillingness to reply, and the previous statement about this other Salem's _charming_ choice of past time, had the audience guessing that she did indeed plan to cook those gnomes.

Deciding to not think about it any further, the audience went back to watching the events on the TV screen. Hopefully things might improve.

 **Cut back to Ozma, the elf version of the ancient man blocked a troll blade with two slender swords. In an incredible display of strength, Ozma pushed back the blade of his much larger foe, staggering the beast. He then charged the troll, leapt into the air, and delivered a swift punch across the troll's face, knocking it unconscious.**

 **In the background, the town was in absolute chaos as the gnomes and trolls fought each other. The gnomes overshelming the trolls with their numbers, while the trolls crushed the gnomes with their greater size and strength.**

 _ **"For this is war!**_

 _ **It's where the strong protect the weak**_

 _ **I know not if I'll die,**_

 ** _but know I'll try_**

 _ **I'd gladly give my life for others!"**_

The audience could see why Alric had stated that Ozma was a good man after hearing and watching him. Now, if only his companion was like him.

Ozpin, meanwhile, felt memories of his first life washing over him again. Memories of his time wandering the world before Remnant as a bold and courageous warrior. Those were incredible times. His time journeying together with Salem were some of the best memories he had, which saddened him when he recalled what happened later on.

 **Salem, who was done chasing down the gnome family, joined in the chaos that had overtaken the gnome town. She grabbed hold of a passing gnome soldier, effortlessly picking up the diminutive creature, and then opened the mouth of a nearby troll by pulling down on their lower lip.**

 _ **"For this is war!**_

 _ **I do not care whose side I'm on**_

 _ **I'll kill a troll or gnome,**_

 _ **Or burn a home"**_

 **Salem then tossed the gnome into the troll's mouth, and manually brought the troll's upper jaw down on the gnome. The green-skinned creature's sharp teeth biting through the gnome's neck, decapitating him.**

 _ **"And it was fun to start this war.**_ _ **Who knew?"**_

 **Salem tossed the gnome's disembodied head to Ozma and walked offscreen, cackling merrily to herself as she did.**

"What?!" Many members of the audience said together when Salem confess to having caused the conflict between the gnomes and trolls. None was more shocked about this than Salem herself.

"She started this war? Why?" Salem questioned, unable to believe that she or any alternate version of herself would knowingly start a war.

 _So she can kill people. I did say she liked doing that,_ was Alric's simple answer. Not at all helping the audience's thoughts and attitude towards the Salem onscreen.

"So, you could say that this Salem possesses extreme psychopathic urges to commit homicide?" Penny spoke up, everyone else in the audience agreeing with the strange girl's assessment.

 _Guess so,_ Alric responded with a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders.

 _ **"Won't you please help end this war with me?"**_

 **Ozma pleaded to Salem as he duelled a troll with one sword whilst not looking at the beast. The elf dropped the gnome head in shock when she saw Salem cause even more chaos.**

 **Cutting to Salem, the white-skinned woman burst out of a pile of dead gnomes then cut a troll in half with a single fire engulfed hand.**

 _ **"Unlimited death!**_

 _ **Infinite lootable corpses**_

 _ **Casting, stabbing, and cursing**_

 _ **Does it really matter why?"**_

 **As she had been singing, Salem grabbed hold of a troll's arm and made the creature stab himself without even looking. And with a snap of her fingers, she turned a long spear three gnomes had been charging at her with into a snake that began to attack them.**

The other Salem's skill in killing and magical abilities were both impressive and unsettling to the audience.

"Magic, huh? Well, that's certainly something I haven't seen before." Maria commented on what she saw. Sure this was all strange, but while she'd gone under the persona of 'The Grimm Reaper' she'd done some crazy stuff as well. The power of her Silver Eyes among them.

"Yep, we've seen magic. People coming back from the dead. A giant space golf ball. And a person turn out to be a gun, man, that was a weird one." Sun said to Maria, leaving out the fact that it had been _his_ alternate that had turned out to have been the gun the whole time.

"You can't do that, can you?" Ren asked the Salem in the audience. She had told everyone she could perform magic, but the full measure of what she could do with said magic had not been discussed at length, nor with great detail.

"Ooh, can you pull a rabbit out of a hat? Can you saw someone in half and put them back together? Can you turn someone into a toad, no wait that's Professor Goodwitch. A sloth then? Oh my god, can you create a mountain of pancakes?!" Nora jumped in and asked Salem her own batch of questions.

"The magics of my world might be a bit different from this one's." Salem began to explain to Nora, and by extension, everyone else in the audience. "I mean, I can produce fire and other elements. But, I've certainly never turned a spear into a snake, nor have I known anyone capable of doing that. And I'm certain I can't do any of the things you asked, Miss Valkyrie."

"Ah well. You can't fault me for asking, right?" Nora remarked, a bit disappointed that the Salem sat with them couldn't do any of the things she asked her. Everyone just shook their heads and returned their attention to the events happening on the TV screen.

"Huh. Does that a lot, does she?" Maria asked the other members of the audience, quickly surmising from their reactions that Nora had a tendency to do stuff like that.

In response, the other guests to Alaric's Repository nodded and murmured in confirmation. Maria hummed and turned her prosthetic eyes to the TV screen as well. Guess that was one more thing she'd have to get used to while she stayed here for goodness knows how long.

 **Ozma was fortunately able to stop Salem from casting a jet of flame from her hands at something offscreen, probably at some gnomes, and continued to try and convince the warlock to help him.**

 _ **"But this is war!"**_

 **As Ozma was singing, a spear came out of nowhere and lodged itself in Salem's chest. Now, a spear stabbed into any body part would be a something of great concern to normal people. But, Salem was not a normal person, and looked on the spear with annoyance.**

 **"Is there a spear through my chest?" Salem questioned as soon as she realised the weapon had been stuck right through her.**

The audience were startled when they saw the spear plunge into Salem's chest. Now, the audience had seen plenty of people die in their time in the Repository, it was kind of a regular occurrence actually. But seeing someone not die from something that should have really killed them, and react only with annoyance at the attack, was certainly something to see. It was kind of funny how onscreen Salem reacted, but what she would do when she found who threw that spear probably wouldn't be.

"Um, I'm guessing it's because her being an undead thing is the reason why that didn't just kill her." Coco guessed, pointing at the spear that had stabbed right through Salem's chest out her back.

 _Yessss, near immortal she is._ Alric replied to the fashionista, drawing out the 'yes' in a kind of creepy way.

"Yeesh, I don't think I'm gonna get used to this guy." Roman whispered to Neo, his silent henchwoman/girl agreeing with him. Why Alaric couldn't have left someone less creepy-sounding, or at least make Alric less unsettling to listen to, was something the audience could only guess at.

 **The undead warlock possessed of murderous tendencies searched for whomever had flung the spear. She found who she was looking for, a troll that was now regretting its life choices, and began to advance menacingly towards the troll. The spear still impaled in her chest.**

 **"What you did was an error!" Salem threateningly said to the troll. Meanwhile, Ozma followed after her, and continued to sing.**

 _ **"It's where the proud defend the meek**_

 _ **We should fight side by side,**_

 _ **To turn the tide."**_

 **Salem reached the troll, and had a firm grasp on the left side of its head, her fingers digging into the troll's left eye socket. She pulled the spear the troll had chucked at her out from her chest and prepared to murder the creature. It was then that Ozma came to a realisation, and decided to stop trying to convince Salem to help because the lives of innocents were at stake, but to tell a little lie regarding the trolls.**

 _ **"They said you were a feeble, undead freak!"**_

 **Salem heard Ozma's words, and believing him, used the spear to brutally stab the troll several times with the spear.**

 _ **"For this is war!"**_

 **Ozma was not stood next to a presentation board that had a cartoonish drawing of Salem next to a fluffy sheep. A love heart drawing between the two.**

 _ **"And that you like animals."**_

"Hm, that certainly riled her up. But I guess that was the point behind it," Oobleck commented to his fellow Beacon professors, who quickly agreed with him.

"She doesn't like animals? Why? Plenty of them are cute!" Velvet questioned, pouting a bit. She liked animals, and had some pet rabbits back home. Hell, Velvet's backup plan for if she didn't get into Beacon was to pursuing photography, wildlife photography among the things she thought of doing. The rest of Team CFVY smiled at Velvet, she'd certainly gotten a bit less shy and more vocal since they were forced into the Repository.

 _That's one of the reasons why she kills them, particularly the innocent and cute ones._ Alric stated, the audience were none too happy about it, but decided to move on. Yet, before they did, something stuck out in their minds as rather peculiar. Where did Ozma get that presentation board and have time to draw what was on it?

"Heh, she started going at that troll like Blake on that Zwei voodoo doll she made after he tore up her notebook." Yang chuckled, as she recalled said incident.

"Voodoo doll? What voodoo doll?" Blake hurriedly responded to Yang's words in an awkward attempt at denial. She then heard a bark right below her, and, to Blake immense surprise and horror, Zwei had somehow snuck onto her lap and was looking up at her. What happened next was very amusing for everyone in the audience.

After taking a second to process what she was looking at, Blake let out an unearthly screech and had leapt off her seat in a blink of an eye. The cat faunus then bounded straight to her parents on all fours and clung onto her mother for dear life, her heart beating a mile (kilometre) a minute. Meanwhile, Zwei had plopped onto the ground after Blake involuntarily launched him into the air in her flight, but quickly got back onto his feet.

Zwei sent Blake an adorable look, the cat faunus clutching onto Kali even tighter than before, and walked back to his chair. Once that little episode between Blake and Zwei was done, the audience turned their attention back to the TV screen.

 **The two now stood side by side, singing together while all around them trolls and gnomes were killing each other.**

 _ **"Now I know whose side I'm on (Oz: Yes, the trolls call you sickly)**_

 _ **I'll slay them with a grin,**_

 ** _Salem for the win!_**

 _ **Let's ensure that each last one is gone!"**_

 _ **"We'll end this war!"**_

 **Ozma sang as he turned towards Salem. He looked on with satisfaction and a bit of pride at how the undead warlock was now only killing trolls, and not gnomes. Sure he'd lied, but it was a helpful one. The camera then cut to Salem dragging a troll down to the ground, and then proceeding to rip out the troll's tusks.**

 _ **"For this is war!"**_

Ozpin let the edge of his lips curl upwards slightly as he watched Ozma and Salem together. It kind of reminded him of when he and Salem would go on adventures and save villages and towns from the Grimm and bandits, though, obviously his Salem wasn't a near immortal undead woman who ripped out the teeth out of the Grimm's mouths. Again, those were some good times.

"Oof, that troll's dentist is going to have a heart attack." Winter remarked, a few murmurs of agreement coming from the rest of the audience. Though, one person was a bit confused by what the Specialist had said.

"What's a 'dentist'?" Jeanne asked her alternate self, the word Winter used one of several words unfamiliar to her.

"It's a person who helps take care of people's teeth. They can take out teeth, put in fillings, and even give you dentures, uh, fake replacement teeth." Jaune explained to the young Frenchwoman. Jeanne was a bit puzzled at how taking care of other people's teeth was a profession, but let the matter go and carried on watching. There were worse things to do for a living after all, a gong farmer among them.

 **The ground of the town was now strewn with corpses and pools of blood now coated the ground. Ozma and Salem continued to sing as they looked into their reflection in one such pool of blood ( _Author:_ _How blood could create a reflection I don't know)_. Disturbingly, Salem had take the troll's bloody tusks and stuck them to the sides of her hood, making her look like she had horns.**

 **" _We heard they're plea (Salem: I'm a WMD!)_**

 ** _And answered their prayers (Salem: It fell down some stairs!)_**

 _ **For honour!"**_

 **"For pony." Salem said to Ozma in a scolding manner, preferring her own war cry over Ozma's silly one.**

 **A boulder then came out of nowhere and crushed Ozma, only his legs and right forearm sticking out from under the large rock. Ozma's hand twitched, as if he were asking Salem for assistance. The undead and highly murderous warlock just waved him off and walked away from the crushed elf.**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

The viewing over, the audience started to voice their mixed thoughts on what they had seen.

"That was... that was quite something."

"It..." Cinder started to say, but just gave up trying to think of something to say about seeing an alternate of her master be... that way. She'd probably never look at her master the same way after this, not at all helped by the Salem in the audience with them.

"Um, will Ozma be okay?" Ruby innocently asked Alric, worried for Ozma's health.

"He got crushed by a boulder, Ruby. Do you really think he'll be okay after that?" Weiss said to her team leader.

 _He bounces back from it. When Salem and Ozma first met each other in this universe, Salem incinerated him, turning him into naught but ashes. She then gets him restored not long after._

"I-I'm not quite sure how I must feel about this," Salem quietly muttered to herself. Seeing herself in such a light was very disturbing to Salem, and she honestly hoped that she herself wouldn't becoming like that.

 _You... could be worse._ Alric remarked, choosing to not go into further detail as to what 'worse' was. The pitch black copy of Alaric then turned his head towards Maria, and spoke to her. _Anyways, what of you Miss Calavera? What are your thoughts on your first viewing here in the Repository?_

"Eh, not bad. Certainly could have been weirder from what the rest of you have told me," Maria replied to Alric. Referring to the few examples the others in the audience had told her of. "You got anything else in mind?"

Alric did not reply, but took out the remote and began to prepare the next viewing for the audience to see. Alaric wasn't back yet, so the audience guessed they'd be stuck with his slightly creepy shadow-clone... thing for a while. The audience accepted this and readied themselves for whatever different and crazy universe they would be watching next.

* * *

 **Right, another chapter done.**

 **Hope you liked the addition of Maria to the group. Kind of wanted to also add an alternate version of Amber Autumn who would be Serana from Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC, but decided to drop the idea before I started writing this chapter.**

 **Now, there will be a delay when it comes to the next update. This is due to me wanting to work primarily on the next chapter of my 'Demi-Human Students of Beacon' fanfiction. It's been over two weeks since I last updated it, so I hope you all understand why I want to focus on it.**

 **Oh, and for those interested, I have begun working on the first chapter of the rewrite for my old RWBY/Warhammer crossover fanfiction 'Worst Enemies Make Even Worse Housemates'. Progress is a bit slow going, but I've started. That counts for something, right?**

 **Okay, that's all I have to say for now.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	36. Curse of the Vampire Coast

**Author's Note:**

 **Can I ask you which is better? Zombies? Vampires? Pirates?**

 **You know what's better than all three of those things? Zombie/Vampire Pirates!**

 **Sorry it took so long to update. Like I said, I focused most of my writing time on my 'Demi-Human Students of Beacon' fanfic, and a bit on my 'Worst Enemies Make Even Worse Housemates' rewrite. While I was trying to come up with something to write for Chapter 36 of this fic, my mind kept stubbing its toe on the large, and very inconvenient, stone called "writer's block."**

 **I started and tried to write Chapter 36 with a few other ideas. Such as; Time Crisis 3, Azur Lane, my RWBY MMORPG original idea, the Destiny Regicide chapter I started but haven't finished. I even began a Warhammer 40K chapter that will feature my own Space Marine Chapter. In the end, I decided to go and do this chapter.**

 **After deciding to make this chapter to be the next one, I tried out this new system where I try to write at least a thousand words a day for my fanfics. Hopefully that will help with the speed that I write chapters, and the frequency in which I update my fanfictions. We'll just have to see.**

 **To those who enjoyed the Three Kingdoms chapter and requested another chapter on it, particularly of the duel between Lu Bu and the Three Brothers. I'm sorry to say that I'm rather unsure about writing it. I mean, I really like the tv series, but in my opinion, the horseback duels are not one of the series' strong suits. I'm not against writing it, but have you seen those duel scenes?**

 **Anyway, here you go.**

* * *

 **Warhammer Total War 2: Curse of the Vampire Coast**

The shadow of Keeper Alaric finished readying the next universe he had in mind for the audience. But, before the shadow went ahead and started up this next viewing of the Multiverse, he had a curious question to ask the audience.

 _Which of these do you like? Zombies? Vampires? Or pirates?_ Alric asked the audience, arousing a bit of suspicion in regards to what the walking shadow had in mind. The shadow had asked a question, though, so they audience decided to play along and answer him. Their responses as varied as the audience members were.

"Oooh, I like zombies!" Yang jumped up in her seat and punched a fist into the air. She had once tried to make Ruby walk a zombie movie with her a couple years ago, but their father caught her, and Yang ended up getting grounded for a week. "Are we going to see some kind of zombie apocalypse universe? It would be scary as hell, but it would be pretty cool to watch someone kick zombie ass!"

"One of my sisters made me watch the first season of 'The Running Dead' late at night. I had nightmares for weeks," Jaune added a bit shakily, obviously not as fortunate as Ruby.

"They're overused," Qrow bluntly stated his own opinion, one that was shared by a fair few other members of the audience. "Feels like every year a movie or game with zombies in them is released."

Those were a few of the opinions the audience had on zombies, now it was the turn for those who wanted their thoughts on vampires heard.

"I've seen a few things about Vampires, and they can be pretty frightening in our media. I can only imagine how terrifying they are in these other universes," Ozpin commented.

"That they certainly can be," Maria spoke up. The former Grimm Reaper remembering a movie she watched where a vampire was portrayed by a famous actor who passed away a few years ago. She couldn't recall his name, but she knew that the actor's first name was something along the lines of Christopher Eel or something like that.

"Ruff!" Zwei said(?), again, no one understood what exactly the little corgi had said. Apart from Alric, of course, who went ahead and nodded at the corgi's response and materialised a bowl of Zwei's favourite dog food in front of the little dog. A few in the audience, namely Ruby, Yang and Weiss looked on jealously at how Alric, and by extension Alaric, and Zwei had bonded over the course of their audience's time in the Repository.

Vampires done and out of the way, it was now time for the opinions of those who wanted to talk about pirates was to be heard.

"They are a despicable bunch. Something people tend to forget when watching their dramatic portrayals in movies and other such things," Winter disapprovingly commented. She wasn't wrong.

"Yaaar! Walk de plank, ye scallywags!" Nora jumped in while wearing a pirate hat, an eyepatch over one eye, and a waving around a fake hook, all of it courtesy of Alric.

"I once fought some pirates operating off the south-western Sanus coast. Let me tell you about it. It was-!" Port began to ramble on with another of his overly long and very self-glorifying stories that he had the unfortunate tendency to tell whenever he got the chance. The rest of the audience and Alric decided to ignore him, it was for the best really.

"So, are we going to watch something about pirates? Zombies? Vampires? Vampire zombie pirates?" Fox asked the Keeper's shadow.

Alric did not answer, but just went ahead and started up the TV.

 **The TV screen faded into a closeup of a hermit crab slowly but surely traversing a sandy beach. The camera then panned to the right, showing a few more hermit crabs, and then coming upon a leg wearing brown leather boots and white-and-red striped tight pants.**

 **Now panning upwards, the camera looked over the leg and showed a bit more of the location all this was happening on. The place looked like a desert island, for it was mostly sand with several palm trees scattered here and there. Three metres away was a man wearing a heavy dark-red coat digging into the ground with a shovel, a small chest with an object that glittered blue under the sun was close by him.**

 **What was also close by the man currently digging were two more bodies, all of them dressed in the same colours as the leg the camera just passed over. When the audience thought about it, they were also dressed and armoured similarly to Rudolph Kruber, Ruby's alternate in that viewing with those filthy Skaven.**

"Does this take place in the same universe as the one with the Skaven? Those soldiers are dressed like my alternate self from that viewing," Ruby remarked upon seeing the corpses around the digging man.

 _No, but, it does take place in the same branch of universes._ Alric replied, his response inspiring intrigue and some caution in the audience. The last stuff they had seen and of from this branch of universes was actually pretty crazy, and not really a place that they would ever consider living in or visiting. Yet the universe was interesting to learn of, so the audience sat up in their seats and intently focused on the TV screen.

Changing the conversation subject away from what universe this was taking place in, and to what was happening in the universe they were watching, Oscar spoke up.

"Is that a pirate digging up some lost treasure? Or is he going to bury some?"

"Actually, pirates rarely if ever hid their treasure." Oobleck butted in, using his extensive knowledge of history to correct and enlighten the farmhand in the audience. "They would normally, and quickly, sell or spend what loot they got their hands on due to their rather short life expectancy as a pirate."

"Oh, so, what is he doing? And who is that anyway?" The young teenage boy asked once Oobleck was done.

 _He is a pirate._ Alric responded to Osca's question, but, rather infuriatingly, left it at that. It was really hard for the audience to put up with this kind of behaviour from both Keeper Alaric and his shadow. That they seemingly had no choice but to put up with it was even more annoying to them. Where was Alaric anyway, and when would he be back?

 **"You wouldn't believe us... The tales we could tell!" The man digging into the sand said to corpses around him.**

The audience were quick to identify just who it the pirate digging into the sand was by listening to his voice. There was a bit of an accent to it, and sounded more conniving than person they recognised the pirate to be, but the audience knew the pirate was the bowler hat wearing criminal in the audience with them. Roman Torchwick.

"Oh, great. A viewing starring _him_ ," Blake mumbled to herself while also casting an disapproving glance towards Roman. The criminal possessing what looked like a pleased look on his face for finally getting a main role in a universe viewing.

"Hopefully he gets shot like in that universe where he turned out to be a blueberry pie," Sun said to Blake when he heard her mumbled words. He agreed with Blake's view of Roman, and though he normally wouldn't want someone to get shot, Roman may or may not deserve to be. Actually, correct that previous statement. Roman almost certainly deserved to get shot.

"Up yours, monkey boy! Hah, it's about time I got time I got my turn in the limelight." Roman remarked after hearing Sun's less than complementary words about him. Over by Neo, Roman's short henchwoman/girl, she frowned and rose up her sign which also had a frowny face drawn on it. "You'll get your turn Neo."

Neo was not at all appeased by Roman's words, but since she didn't seem capable of doing anything about it, the pint-sized criminal jut frowned and crossed her arms. She wanted a viewing with her as a main character in it as well. Preferably with her kicking someone's ass, like Yang's, in an epic fashion.

While Neo was silently complaining about her lack of appearances in these viewings, the rest of the audience had noticed that something about this version of Torchwick seemed off. Yes he had a bit of an accent, but that was not new, nor was it the thing that alerted the audience that something was up with this Roman. There was a quality to him, one that the audience could not understand where it came from, that made the audience feel as if he less than human, but also more at the same time. The fact that the camera was actively avoiding showing Roman's face was another hint that there might be something else about this version of the criminal.

In response to this, the audience kept their guard up in the very likely event that something crazy might happen.

 **The screen cut to another location, this time it looked like a rainforest at the dead of night. A stone pyramid structure of Aztec-like design, with a strange blue glow coming from within, towered over the forest canopy.**

 **Another cut showed Torchwick striding through the abandoned corridors of the pyramid, yet the camera still only showed his back. A couple seconds later, Roman exited the corridor and entered a wide hall with a tall ceiling.**

 **Over at the far end of the hall, at an altar atop some stairs, was a strange yet beautiful artifact. It was a large sky-blue crystal set in a gilded cube that was surrounded by a gilded ring. Interestingly, this artifact was not resting on the altar, but was levitating above it a few centimetres above it.**

"Well hello beautiful. What price can you fetch for?" Roman said to himself whilst eyeing the very precious, and probably priceless, artefact. He wasn't the only one eyeing the artefact with desirous intent.

Emerald, longtime and natural thief that she was, was currently imagining how much the artefact would be worth if sold in the black market.

Profe-I mean... DOCTOR Oobleck's mind was blazing through all kinds of questions and ideas in regards to the culture, and history, of the people who created the artefact and built the pyramid that housed it. Being in the Repository had exposed him to all kinds of civilisations and cultures, and the DOCTOR felt slightly dejected that he could not get a better opportunity to learn more about them.

"I'm guessing that this is in the past? You know, like a flashback." Neptune commented, receiving an affirmative nod from Alric.

 **"Though... Truth be told," Roman said as he stopped digging and planted his shovel into thd sand. He then looked to a corpse slumped against a palm tree, and whose dead eyes were looking at Roman. "It started very poorly."**

 **Back to the scene in the pyramid temple, as Roman neared the stairs, the eyes of two guardian statues depicting a pair of lizard-like creatures that stood along the path towards the altar lit up, and the entire pyramid began to violently shake. Bright blue magical energies engulfed the guardian statues, and from their stone mouths, bolts of magical lightning began to relentlessly lash out and strike Roman over and over again. It looked, and certainly was, painful as hell.**

 **Roman fell on his knees and let out a tormented scream as the defensive magic set long ago on the pyramid did its work on him. The man tried to fight back against the magic that assailed him, but the protective spells set on these ancient halls were made to fight off creatures even more powerful than him, so Roman's struggle was one of futility and only made things more painful for himself. Meanwhile, Roman's prize, the golden artifact upon the altar broke apart into two halves and flew past him. The blue crystal set in the cube going to one part of the world, while the ring that had surrounded it to another.**

 **Leaving the man that had sought to claim the artifact to the mercies of the temple's magic, before the screen cut to black.**

"Well, that was... rough." Coco remarked, breaking the short silence that had fallen over the room as they watched the Torchwick onscreen be subject to an undeniably painful experience. But, knowing the kind of man Roman was, a thief being the least of those things, the guy was probably intending to plunder the temple for personal gain. So, he kind of deserved what he went through, but still, what they saw was pretty terrible.

"Yeah, 'rough'. Rough is a _very_ apt way of describing just happened to the other me." Roman sarcastically said in response to Coco's remark. Excruciatingly painful would be a much better way to describe what had happened to pirate Roman, seriously, Roman actually squirmed in his seat a bit while he watched the other him get bombarded by magic lightning.

"And yet he was able to survive that?" Cinder said, adding her own thoughts to the mix. She was right, and it was remarkable that Roman had apparently withstood the magical defenses of the temple, but the audience did doubt the idea that he came out of that experience unaffected in anyway.

Taking into consideration that fact they had not even seen a glimpse of Roman's face since the viewing started, the pirate version of the criminal most certainly by this experience in the pyramid in some way. Had his face been severely scarred or deformed in some way? Maybe, but all they could do was keep watching and waiting.

 **The screen brightened against, this time showing a trio of sails ships surrounded by fog and creeping towards the island Roman was on.**

 **"I was one... But now we are many." Roman said to himself as he continued with his digging. One of the ships fired a broadside of cannonfire at the island Roman was on. The cannonballs flying over Roman's head, one almost taking his head off, and exploded somewhere offscreen. Roman cackled when he heard the cannonballs exploded and began to pick up the pace with his diggging. "We all agree on one thing!"**

 **There was something about Torchwick that drew concern from the audience. Not the 'I'm-concerned-for-this-person' kind of concerned, but the 'I-feel-concerned-because-of-this-person' type of concerned. Trust me, they're two different kinds of concerned. His personality seemed to have shifted, from a calm and somewhat normal one to a slightly mad one. Somewhat normal because he had been talking to a corpses, which I'm certain is not a normal thing to do.**

 **"To sail the coast!" Roman continued.**

 **Another scene change occured, this time to an aerial view of a fortress-like settlement in the dead of night. It was situated at a coast or near the mouth of a great river. One side facing the waters while the other was towards the rainforest that dominated the land.**

 **"Hunt down those Lizard trinkets." The camera focused on a small chest filled with an assortment of golden baubles and artifacts created from goodness knows how many years ago. The one that stood out from all the other contents in the chest was the blue crystal half of the artifact Roman had tried to take from the pyramid. "And we will find them. Muhahahahaha!"**

"Okay, that laugh was just creepy." Fox stated, everyone else in the audience agreeing with the teen. The more the audience heard this other version of Roman speak, the more they felt that there was indeed something up with him. He already was a scummy pirate, but was he a mad pirate as well? That would be a supremely bad combination if that were real.

 _"What was that about him being 'many'?"_ Neo inquired, curious as to what pirate Roman meant by that. The Keeper's shadow refused to answer, and only crossed his arms.

Great, more questions with answers that they would have to wait for.

 **In the streets of the Empire settlement, the night guards were doing their rounds. Most were in pairs, while a few patrolled on their own. One such poor unfortunate soul who had the misfortune of patrolling the dark streets of the settlement on his own, was walking down a street with a halberd in one hand and a torch in the other. His mind split between focusing on staying alert for anything, and longing for the warm bed and cold ale he'd get once his watch was over.**

 **It was then that the soldier heard some behind him. Turning round, the man, and the audience, laid eyes on a creature from a horror film. It was a shambling half-corpse, literally, for the creature lacked the lower half of the human body it used to be. Using its long arms as a substitute for its lost legs. Its dead skin was grey and cold, needle-like teeth filled the gapping maw that was its mouth.**

 **Terrified, and absolutely browning those white-and-red pants of his, thd guard started to back away from the creature. Yet, his fears only grew when the fire of his torch revealed even more horrors. Approaching him were a small gang of shuffling zombies. These zombies had the looked of drowned sailors or pirates if their wet rotting flesh and attire was anything to go by. And they were advancing right towards the guard.**

 **Turning to run, the guard was only able to take a two steps when he froze where he stood as he came face-to-face with something else that had been stalking the night. It was Roman, his features still hidden, this time by the night's shadows. In his right hand he carried a cutlass that he used like a cane, and in his left was a flintlock pistol that he rose up so the guard was looking down the pistol's barrel before firing.**

"What in God's green earth was that-that... monster?!" Jeanne cried when she saw the walking half-corpse with a gaping mouth, completely aghast at the knowledge that such a monster actually existed in the Multiverse. She was not alone, and those who shared such thoughts felt a chill up their spine as they imagined running into that monster in the dead of night like the guard had.

"Were those... zombie pirates?" Kali asked about the gang of shambling undead that she saw onscreen.

"I believe so," Ghira responded to his wife's question. The two remembered what Alric had said before the start of this viewing, and when the two faunus saw the attire that the zombies wore, they were quick to make the assumption. They were not alone, and others in the audience agreed with them. So this was why Alric had brought up zombies and pirates earlier.

But what about vampires?

"Is Torchwick a zombie pirate as well?" Glynda asked Alric.

"To hell with that idea!" The criminal was quick to deny, not wishing to be a mindless corpse driven by a craving for living flesh, and without any sense of luxury or appreciation of a good cigar. Speaking of cigars, Roman took one out and lit it with a match.

 _Well yes, but no._ Alric vaguely answered. _He has control over them, but he himself is not a zombie._ _You'll see what I mean in a moment._

So Roman was a necromancer as well as a pirate? And what did he mean by that first part? Did Alric mean that the Roman onscreen was also an undead creature? The audience would not have long to wait for their questions to be answered.

 **"One piece at a time!" Roman continued to speak. Returning to the desert island, Roman had thrown his shovel aside and was now desperately digging with his gloved hands. Tossing sand into the air in his pursuit of whatever he sought.**

 **After a few seconds, Roman abruptly stopped his digging and reached down to retrieve something from the sand.**

 **"We _will_ put ourselves back together!" Roman yelled as he rose up to his full height, and triumphantly held up the other half of the artifact he'd tried to plunder from the temple so many years ago.**

 **The camera moved to face Roman, and slowly panned started to pan upwards as Roman took both halves of the artifact and began to process of restoring the artifact to its original state. As the camera moved upwards, the audience were finally allowed a full view of just what this Roman looked like. Or maybe I should say, what he really was.**

 **This universe's Roman had rough, deathly white skin that bore its fair share of scars here and there. An eyepatch covered his right eye, while his good left one had blood-red pupils and the white of his eyes were actually pitch black. His hair, once orange back in another lifetime millennia ago, was now white with age and fell past his shoulders. Behind him, while Roman was busying returning both halves of the artifact together, a pitched battle between an army of soldiers from the Empire of Man and a horde of undead was raging on.**

 **The pieces of the artifact in Roman's hands began to crackle with magic and a pale-blue aura started to surround them. It took a bit of effort, for both halves of the artifact seemed to try and resist being reunited with each other, but Roman was finally able to put the artifact back together. A small shockwave burst forth from the artifact the moment Roman completed his task.**

 **"Fortune favours the infamous." Roman said to himself, a smirk on his lips as he looked up from his prize and right at the camera. As he opened his mouth to speak and smirk, it was revealed his canines were sharp fangs.**

For a majority of the audience, they now understood why Alric mentioned vampires before the start of this viewing. Roman was certainly more than a scourge of the seas. He was definitely more, but less, than a human. This version of Roman Torchwick was in actuality a bloody vampire!

 _Say hello to Arch-Grand Commodore of the Vampire Coast, Roman Harkon. Or the Pirate King if you want a shorter title,_ Alric told the audience.

"W-What?" Emerald said, not in shock or horror, but in amused disbelief of the first title Alric had used to introduce Roman Harkon. If that was an actual rank given to him, she thought whoever came up with it in the first place was ridiculous. If not, and in the occasion that Roman came up with it himself, the thief believed that he came up with it to compensate for something.

"A vampire pirate. Well, I don't think I've heard of that before." Maria muttered, thumbing her chin as she tried to recall if she had. She couldn't, so she guessed that this was indeed the first time she ever encountered the idea of vampire pirates.

 _Yes, Roman Harkon is a vampire. In fact, one of the first vampires to have ever plagued this world,_ Alric continued to explain the identity of Roman's alternate in this universe. _While searching for treasure in the jungles of a land called 'Lustria', his mind was split into dozens of personalities when trying to breach into a Lizardman temple. Each personality fighting each other for dominance, but they all agree that returning to their pre-shattered state would be very beneficial._

"So the Roman in this world is a blood sucking parasite who also operates as a pirate? Huh, not far off from what this one's like," Ironwood remarked disdainfully.

"Screw off, tin-head!" Roman yelled in response to the Altesian General's words.

"Looks like quite the fighting going on behind him," Cinder said. She was not interested in it, but she was imagining the powers that the vampires in this word wielded. Alric had mentioned that Roman had control over zombies, so was necromancy a natural ability of vampires, or that Roman had learnt over the years. As if he had heard her thoughts, which he no doubt did, Alric answered Cinder's unspoken questions.

 _A large majority of Vampires in this world are natural necromancers. Though, there are those from certain bloodlines whose power in that school of dark arts is lesser than their midnight kindred. The undead you see behind Roman, and those you will see, are under his or his vampire subordinates' command._

 **Cutting to the battle going on behind Roman, the audience looked on as various kinds of undead horrors slashed, stabbed, hacked, tore, beat, shot and chomped on the mortal men of the Empire. One of the first things that the audience saw was a unit of Empire swordsmen get assailed by small band of particularly terrifying creatures.**

 **Two reanimated corpses of fat-bellied Ogres lumbered into the swordsmen and began smashing them aside with their massive arms and considerable girth. These monsters were horrifying to look upon, not just because of the decaying flesh of their bodies, but because their bodies had fused with bits of debris from sunken ships, a massive crab-like claw replaced the right arm of one, and the same hulk had a gaping mouth where its chest had been. Joining in these abominations of all things good, natural and living was one of those ghoulish half-bodies.**

 **Above the carnage, flocks of bats as large as men swarmed over the battlefield. To the audience's surprise, carried in the talons of many of these bats were zombie pirates carrying all sorts of weapons. These included cutlasses and pistols, bombs, and even handguns/rifles.**

"Man, those things are freaky!" Jaune said in regard to the hulking undead corpses that had once been ogres. His and the rest of the audience's disgust for the undead monsters only grew when they realised that a large tongue was protruding from the chest-mouth of one of the undead ogres. Just what kind of force was capable of mutating the dead in such a way was not something the audience really wanted to know.

"They're actually sickening to lay eyes upon." Salem mumbled, a frown on her face.

"Are those bats carrying zombies?" Pyrrha questioned, legitimately confused by the side before her. Of all the things she could think of ever seeing, that was not one of them.

 **Cutting away to another scene, the audience were greeted with the sight of a gunline formed by a large mob of zombie pirates using more black powder weapons against the Empire soldiers. Handguns, scaled-down versions of the cannons on ships, mortars, and actual carronades taken from sunken ships.**

 **Standing amongst and giving orders to these zombie deckhands to fire was a vampire dressed like a pirate captain. An amusingly short vampire I must add.**

Now, if that short vampire pirate captain had been just that, an amusingly short vampire captain, the audience would have just let it be and carried on watching. But they were not, and the audience were quick to identify just who the short captain was. For though she was a centuries old vampire, the captain bore a strong resemblance to none other than Neo Politan.

"Um, is that vampire supposed to be... her?" Yatsuhashi questioned, referring to the Neo in the audience.

Over by Neo, she was glad that she got a moment of screentime. Sure she wanted a bigger role in all this, but Roman's short partner-in-crime settled with what she got right now. At least she had showed up in one of these universes again. It felt like forever since she had been featured, or even mentioned, in one of these viewings. She still wanted have more than a couple seconds of screen time, but she could wait for as long as necessary for a universe where she took centre stage.

"Wait, what the hell is that?!" Coco cried in alarm, bringing attention back to the screen. Looking at the screen, the eyes of the collective members of the audience widened and their jaws hit the floor when they saw what Coco had brought to everyone's attention.

 **Behind the gun line of zombie pirates, and joining in the booming chorus of black powder weapons was probably the largest artillery cannon the audience had ever seen. The cannon's barrel was approximately over thirty metres (98 feet) in length by the author's guess.**

 **This titan of a cannon rose up and fired. The massive cannonball tore through the air, and completely decimated a unit of Empire Knights garbed in the finest plate armour as they rode their barded warhorses in a desperate charge at the enemy guns. Many of these knights and their horses were sent flying by the explosion caused by the gigantic cannon's one shot, or were blown to pieces if they were in ground-zero of the massive cannon's shot.**

"Oh my gosh, that's a big gun!" Velvet exclaimed in surprise the instant her laid eyes on the titanic instrument of death by cannonball. The rabbit faunus expressing the shared thoughts running through the minds of the audience once they looked upon the giant cannon, and the destruction it could wreak on the battlefield.

Obviously, all but two people in the audience were happy that Roman Torchwick of all people, an alternate version of him anyway, had such a weapon at his disposal.

"Ren-" Nora started to say to her best friend who she certainly did not possess hidden romantic feelings for.

"No, Nora. Just no," said boy immediately stopped Nora from proceeding any further with saying whatever she was in her in mind right now. He knew what she was thinking. He knew she was planning. And what Nora was thinking of doing if she ever got a hold of the giant cannon on screen was a BIG no-no.

"Party-pooper," Nora let out in a disgruntled whisper. She only planned to shoot a few people out of the cannon if she was ever able to lay hands on it, or something similar. The idea was part of an experiment she wanted to try out. Yes, an _experiment_.

Elsewhere in the audience, Ruby had fainted, and was currently being revived by her father, her team, and dog. The red-hooded Huntress-in-Training having collapsed to due overexcitement.

 _That is Queen Bess, a modified and scaled down version of a cannon used by a unique ship of the Empire of Man's navy. Roman was able to salvage/steal one of these cannons, and after a few tweaks, there she is._ Hearing Alric's explanation as to what the giant cannon was left the audience baffled, or fascinated depending on where you stand. That Queen Bess was a smaller version of a much larger cannon astounded them.

Just what did the Empire of Man plan on using such massive weapons for? Blowing up a mountain?

 **Another cut showed several Empire confronting a gargantuan undead crab monster from the deepest depths of the sea. How large are we talking about? It was around nine metres (30 feet) across and about half that in height.**

 **This monstrously-sized bit of seafood used one of its oversized claws to knock a man high into the air, and used the same claw to catch him before he could crash into the sandy ground. Death by splattering on the ground would have been a preferable fate to the soldier, for to his and the audience's horror, the monster opened its mouth and popped him inside its mouth. Eating the man alive.**

 **A few brave/foolish souls were enraged by the sight of the giant undead crustacean devouring their brother-in-arms alive, and desperately charged at the beast. Hoping their spears, swords, halberds, and greatswords could penetrate the beast's hard as steel carapace. Taking notice of the Empire soldiers charging at it, the beast brought its mighty claws down and crushed them.**

The audience had to admit that they were watching a serious house of horrors right now. First there were zombie pirates and half-corpses. Next there were mutated zombie ogres. After that there were giant bats carrying zombie pirates, then zombie pirates using freaking cannons. Now a giant undead crab capable of swallowing men whole.

"Yikes, really sucked to be those guys." Mercury stated, earning a few murmured words of agreement from the others. Plenty were thankful that they were not watching alternate versions of themselves be the receivers of many of the deaths onscreen. Now that would really suck!

"I feel sorry for the guy that was swallowed whole. That one of the worse ways to die in my opinion," Neptune added. Like Mercury, he too received a good number of affirmative responses from others in the audience. There were many terrible ways to die, plenty a lot worse then being swallowed alive, but being digested while you're still alive was one of the worst that the audience were willing to imagine right now.

"Y'know, you'd think they would be running away instead of charging straight at those things. I mean, look at these monsters!" The green-haired thief, Emerald, also said. Raising a fair point about what they were watching.

"They're most likely still fighting because they have no choice!" Maria spoke up, drawing attention to herself. "Either they've lost any means to escape, fighting to the death would be preferable to doing the opposite, or something big is happening. Something so big, that surrender or retreat is not an even an option to them. Trust me, I've seen plenty of such things happen back in my day."

 **Cutting to another part of the battlefield, the audience beheld two more products of the vampire pirates' necromantic endeavours into the unholy.**

 **Towering above all else on the battlefield, their height rivalled only by Queen Bess, were two giant humanoid constructs made from an amalgamation of timbers and iron from sunken galleons, and the dead flesh of scores if not hundreds of men.**

 **One of these unholy colossi was burning men to death with a giant flamethrower that stood in place of a right hand. While second, with a right arm bearing four carronades strapped together, loaded its weapons and unleashed its terrible fury some Empire soldiers.**

The sight of these walking behemoths really shook the audience up. Not only because of their bizarre appearance, but also there was a sense of repulsive wrongness that permeated around the giant constructs. That these artificial giants should not be, and that they were an even greater insult to the ways and laws of nature than all the other things that they had since in Roman's undead army. And there had been a lot of things in it that were offensive to both eyes and nature.

"What... in... the... absolute hell are those?!" Were the words that many in the audience uttered the moment they saw the two constructs lumbering onscreen and lay waste to the soldiers of the Empire.

"Those things look like... ships with legs," Weiss muttered in alarm. One of the colossi actually had the prow section of a once mighty galleon incorporated to its chest, so it could be understood why she just said that.

"And here comes to explanation we honestly didn't want." Raven sighed. The bandit chief predicting that once the group asked those questions, Alric would jump at the chance to give them an answer that would creep them out to no end. Not a second later, and Raven's prediction was proven true, as Alaric's shadow sat up straight on his seat and explained what the 'ships with legs' were.

 _They are Necrofex Colossi. I am not permitted to go into detail as to how they are constructed, but understand that these Colossi are created by necromancers from the ruins of sunk ships and dead flesh of living beings, preferably humanoids. They have a will of their own, and can turn against their masters if an opportunity to do so arises and if they desire._

After hearing what Alric had to say, most of the audience were now unsure what was more terrifying. That there was a universe where these abominable constructs existed. Or that there were minds sick enough to even imagine creating such monsters, and worse, those willing to actually bring such abominations to life. Such thoughts made several audience members shudder at the thought of similar, or even worse, horrors that might have been created throughout the Multiverse by equally depraved minds.

Seriously, there were really a lot of things out in the Multiverse that put the Grimm to shame.

 **Roman looked on at the battle going on. The Arch-Grand Commodore of the Vampire Coast was pleased with how his minions were handily dispatching the mortal interlopers. Then a shadow fell over the beach, and when Roman, and the camera, turned to gaze on what was the source, awe filled the hearts of all who looked upon it.**

 **Rising from the waters not far off from the islands, the back of some titan sea creature had broken from the waters. The beast's body was covered in blue and green scales that one might see on a serpent. And on its back were a set of spines connected to each other by thick dark-red membranes.**

 **The vampire's pleased look became ecstatic, and he started to chuckle to himself. That chuckle then turned into a bout of near maniacal laughter. He had reclaimed the prize he had lost when he ventured deep into Lustria, and was now another step closer towards his goal of becoming one person again, but the greatest prize in all the seas of the world had just swum right up to him.**

 **And with that, the screen turned to black.**

The viewing was done, to the relief of a few members of the audience, because they had seen glimpses of even more undead monstosities that they did not want a closer look at. For example, a couple members of the audience could have sworn that they saw a zombie dragon or something along those lines. Whatever it had been, they did not want a closer look at it.

Speaking of monsters, the titan sea beast that had partially risen from the waves caught the attention of everyone in the audience. Knowing that, Alric quickly explained to them just what it was they saw at the end.

 _That was Amanar, probably the mightiest of the Merwyrms. Merwyrms are a distant relative of the winged Dragons that live within the ocean depths instead of flying in the sky. They have quite the appetite, and are known to attack coastal settlements in their search for food._

"So why was I happy to see you? Giant sea-lizard looked several times bigger than any ship," Roman was quick to point out his alternate self's enthusiasm upon seeing the Merwyrm. A thought then crossed his mind when he recalled the assortmenf of reanimated monsters that made up his army and crews. "Wait a second... Does the other me plan to kill it and turn it into an undead thing like all those other stuff?"

 _Indeed,_ Alric replied. _And if he does, Roman Harkon could become the ruler of all the world's seas. With the greatest Merwyrm at his command, entire enemy fleets can be destroyed by a swipe of its tale, and all the booty and corpses those fleets leave behind will become his._

Leaving the audience with the thought of a vampire pirate version of Roman Torchwick possibly ruling that world's oceans thanks to a giant zombie sea beast, and becoming the ultimate pirate because of it. Alric took out the remote and started to prepare the next universe that Alaric desired to show them.

* * *

 **There you go, hoped you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	37. FFXIV: Flames of Truth

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey everyone, new chapter.**

 **I don't play FFXIV, but from I've seen of it, it is probably the only MMORPG I would be willing to get into if I was interested in playing MMORPGs.**

 **I honestly only learnt about FFXIV a few months ago when I came across the trailer for the Shadowbringer expansion while browsing through YouTube.** **Was pretty cool to be honest, so I looked into FFXIV and was really surprised by what I saw. I'll admit, I was really taken in by the main story of Heavensward.**

 **The Flames of Truth cinematic is what I chose to do for this chapter instead of any other cinematic or trailer, because why wouldn't I?** **The cinematic is breathtaking!**

 **Right, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Final Fantasy XIV - Flames of Truth**

As they waited for Alric to finish preparing the next universe, the audience heard the familiar sound of a tornado just outside the viewing room's door to the rest of the Repository. After a couple seconds, the sound of intense winds died down, and the door opened. The person who stepped in was Keeper Alaric, but he was... different when compared to the last time they had seen him.

The Keeper still wore his pitch-black hooded robes and white mask over his face. Yet, his robes were now made of fine silk, and decorated with elaborate purple and silver patterns, with the edges of his robes bordered with gold. Three peacock tails feathers hanging from a belt that was now worn around his waist. His mask was still blank and white, yet its eyeholes were now almond-shaped and a pair of pinions rose up from its sides.

"Um, hi... Alaric." Jaune said, the first member of the audience to say anything to the returned Keeper.

"That's... quite the new look you've got," Emerald muttered. Seeing him in a new outfit actually made Emerald think of changing up her own once/if the audience were sent back their universe. Not immediately, but it wouldn't hurt to change up the design of her combat outfit later on.

"It's not actually bad. Though, still a bit too much black in my opinion." Coco remarked, voicing her own opinion of the Keeper's new look.

"Hm? Oh yeah, this. Real snazzy, eh?" Alaric responded, striking a few poses to better show off his new attire. "My boss, Tiamat, gave this to me. Said it was a gift for all my centuries of work as a Keeper, and because of how I helped contain that little situation in another Keeper's Repository."

"Really? All that hard work and your boss just gave you new clothes?" Qrow snorted at Alaric's reason for why he was differently dressed. It did seemed like a crappy reward for recording the various worlds of the Multiverse for centuries, and whatever happened at that other Repository, in the eyes of the plenty in the audience. But the Keeper did not seem to mind, and it was not like they could do any thing about it.

Alaric did not respond to Qrow, and walked over to his walking shadow, who had gotten up from his seat and walked up to the Keeper.

"Now, let's get you back to where you belong." Alaric said to Alric once the two stopped opposite each other. With a snap of his fingers, Alric melted into the floor like a wax candle and retook his place as Keeper Alaric's shadow.

The audience were honestly a bit relieved to see Alric go. For the way the shadow spoke to them through their minds had started to become rather unpleasant to them. Sure, Alaric had and would do the same, but he only did so on occasion. Not as a form of communication.

"Okay, with that out of the way, Roman, Neo, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald. Would you mind if you went to the waiting room for a while?" Alaric asked the five aforementioned people. They were startled by it, the last three worried by how the Keeper had singled them out with Roman and Neo. Before any of them could say anything, Alaric shrugged and said. "Heh, doesn't matter! Off you go!"

With a wave of his hand, a strong gust of wind threw the five off of their seats and into the open door of the waiting room. Once they were in the door shut behind them with a loud slam. The rest of the audience were taken aback by how out of the blue that had been, and the odd selection of people to throw into the waiting room. Yet they shrugged and continued on as normal.

Still, why were plenty of the audience getting a suspicious feeling scratching at the back of their heads? What was stranger was that that the suspicious feeling they were experiencing right now was directed at all five of the people Alaric had thrown into the waiting room.

Cinder most of all.

That out of the way, Alaric sat down on his chair, took out his remote and pressed play.

 **The TV screen turned on, and the audience did not see much at first, the screen remaining dark. After a couple seconds, a fiery piece of debris tore through the screen like a comet, revealing dark clouds in the night sky as it plummeted to the ground below. It was then that the audience started to notice a barely audible chorus of voices singing through the speakers.**

 _ **I CLOSE MY EYES, TELL US WHY MUST WE SUFFER**_

 _ **RELEASE YOUR HANDS, FOR YOUR WILL DRAGS US UNDER**_

 **More bits of debris tore through the and clouds as the camera began to move upwards. The clouds started to become red as if a great red light was shining down on them.**

"Hm? There's singing again? Alright then, it doesn't sound bad at all actually." Salem was the speak up. The woman from Remnant's ancient past becoming steadily captivated by the song being sung.

"Better than Qrow's singing," Raven abruptly spoke up in an attempt to annoy her brother. And you know what? It did.

"Why does someone keep bringing that up? I'm going to f-(Everyone: Qrow!)-ing lose it if someone brings up my singing again!" Qrow angrily shouted at the top of his lungs. As you can tell, the veteran Huntsman was more than a little tired of how other audience members kept bringing up his singing ability.

Others turned their minds away from the singing and faint music that they could hear, as well as Qrow's like outburst, and focused on what was going onscreen. Putting particular emphasis on the bits of flaming rubble falling from the sky, and the deep red light that was starting to dominate it and the screen. They weren't sure what was going on, but the audience knew they would find out sooner or later.

"Where is this stuff coming from? Also, what's up with that red light?" Sun questioned. No sooner had the monkey faunus asked, the answer was shown onscreen. Much to the audience's astonishment and confusion.

"Is that... a moon?" Winter whispered in disbelief of what she was seeing.

"That's no moon. It's a spa-Oh wait! Ehehe, wrong universe, and no spoilers for you lot." Alaric said, quickly catching himself upon realising what he was saying.

 **Back to the TV screen, the source of the red light had been revealed to be a massive red orb, with several protrusions that glowed blue embedded into it. Tiny pieces of the orb were breaking off and fall towards the ground.**

 **To the horror of many in the audience, many of these falling pieces were descending towards several cities and settlements on the surface. Though tiny when compared to the orb they came from, many of the bits of debris were as large as houses. People were standing in great crowds, or by themselves, and helplessly watching as debris from the moon-like object fell to the ground in blazing trails of fire.**

 _ **MY LEGS GROW TIRED, TELL US WHY MUST WE WANDER**_

 _ **HOW CAN WE CARRY ON IF REDEMPTION'S BEYOND US?**_

Seeing the falling moon-like object, the audience's minds were filled with all manner of questions. All of them questions relating to the not-moon on the TV screen before them. Yet, alongside these questions, most of the people watching felt concern for the safety and wellbeing of those people onscreen. I say most because Raven is still in the audience.

"Oh no! This is terrible!" Velvet cried as she watched a mother and child ran away from a falling piece of the moon heading near them.

"Shouldn't they be running for shelter?" Yatsuhashi inquired, confused as to why many people were just standing around and watching the falling pieces of the not-moon tear through the sky above them. He wasn't the only one asking this question.

"Is that moon-thing falling towards this planet's surface?" Taiyang questioned. The blonde man was right, the massive sphere was slowly, but surely, descending through the atmosphere and towards the surface.

"That 'moon-thing' is called Dalamud. An artifical satellite of this planet known as 'Hydaelyn'. And yes, it is falling towards Haeydelyn's surface, on purpose I feel I must add." Alaric answered, shocking the audience when he said that its descent was intentionally.

Now, the audience were a bit unclear what exactly the Keeper meant by the whole 'on purpose' thing. Was it 'on purpose' because the not-moon, Dalamud, was sentient and had thought crashing itself into the planet was a good idea? Was there someone, or something, that decided to force Dalamud from its orbit and towards the surface? Either way, this was terrible in the eyes of the audience.

 **The camera pulled away from the sight of Dalamud's falling pieces raining devastation on the land, and focused on a rocky landscape where the fate of the world would be determined.** **At a large, flat and dusty plain, two armies were about to fiercely clash with one another.**

 **It was then that a woman, with a voice like that of a heavenly goddess, began to sing.**

 _ **To all of my children in whom Life flows abundant**_

"Hm, this lady has a nice singing voice." Pyrrha complemented the person who was singing over the events onscreen, though, she wondered how this song related to what they were watching.

"While I agree that this person's voice is nice, can we focus on the armies fighting each other?" Ironwood pointed out to the rest of the audience members. He liked the singing, it was just that the situation involving the two armies in the distance was more noticeable and important in the eyes of the Altesian General.

Doing as Ironwood suggested, the audience turned their minds towards the battle going on.

 **One of the armies participating in the battle was diverse in weapons, armour, and even species.**

 **Their weapons ranged from; bows, swords-and-shields, polearms, greataxes, bare-fists or gauntlets, twin daggers, magical staves and... books? Of the races that fought on this side there were what looked like humans. Elves. Large humanoids with grey skin with muscles that put everyone in the audience to shame. Humans with cat ears and tails. Humans with curved horns, scales and reptilian tails. And, strangest of all, diminutive and slightly rotund people that looked like children or toddlers at first glance.**

The audience were not too phased by the appearance of the warriors on this side of the battlefield. Having, as I'm sure I've said before, seen a lot weirder people and things. To be honest, they were fairly normal-looking when compared to other things they had seen in the universe. Apart for those short toddler-like people.

They were really strange.

"These are the warriors of the Eorzean Alliance. A collection of city-states from the land of Eorzea who have united to fight against the invading warriors they face tonight." Alaric explained to his guests.

"They're quite diverse, to say the least about them." Ozpin commented as he carefully eyed the peoples that made up this army.

"Are those... What are those toddler-like people? I am very confused by them right now," Penny said with a tilt of her head. Voicing the confusion that many in the audience shared in regard to those... short people.

"Hm? Oh yeah. There are the Hyur, essentially humans. Elezen, who are more or less elves with a different name. Those big guys with grey-skin are called Roegadyn. The cat-people are called Miqo'te. The people with reptilian features are known as Au Ra. And those... short people... are Lalafells." Alaric said, seemingly a bit confused by the 'Lalafells' as the audience were. "There are subgroups in those races, but I don't have time to get into them."

 **The opposing army was a polar opposite of the first army the audience saw. They were uniform in appearance and their weapons were standardised unlike their opponents. Also, this other army appeared to be made up of a single species as far as the audience could tell.**

 **All of members of this army were human, as far as they audience could tell. They wore predominately black, grey, and red. Many of their more heavily armoured soldiers wearing plate armour that had an eastern-style to them, while also wearing skull-like gasmasks under their helmets. Of their weapons, most could be seen wielding swords-and-shield, spears, halberds, and a few even wielded what looked like a gun integrated into a saber. There didn't seem to be any kind of magic in this army whatsoever.**

"Who are these people?" Doctor Oobleck questioned. Another bunch of people how's history and culture he could only get the barest glimpse and details about. Such a shame.

"Bad guys I'm guessing? They totally look like bad guys from games and stuff," Sun spoke up. He wasn't wrong, the skull design on the gasmasks that the fully-armoured members of this army were wearing

"They are the Garlean Empire. An empire who, in the span of a single generation, went from a sparsely populated nation, to one of the most powerful factions in the face of the world. And yes, you can say the Garleans are the 'bad guys' here. Though, as it is in many things, there are things worse than them."

The audience, needless to say, were astounded by how fast these Garleans had risen and expanded. Numerous kingdoms and empires had risen and fallen over the course of Remnant's recorded history. That the Garlean Empire could be formed and turned into one of the most powerful nations in this world within a single generation was just unreal to the audience.

Shame about the whole 'bad guy' thing. But why the hell did they have too look badass? Come on, those fully armoured Garleans looked cool in the eyes of quite a few in the audience (and the Author).

"Are those gunswords?" Ruby excitedly pointed at the weapons.

"Gunblades." Alaric said, stating the in-universe term used to generally describe the weapons. Materialising a Garlean gunblade in his hand as he did. "A technology used rather exclusively by the Garlean Empire, same goes for a few other things. Though, the Eorzeans will get their gunblades later on."

Another gunblade appeared in the Keeper's other hand, its design was certainly dissimilar to the Garlean weapon he was already holding. This must be the Eorzean variant of the gunblade. Its single-edged blade was wider than the thin blade the Garlean gunblade possessed, looking more like an oversized kitchen knife than a sabre the Garleans' designed theirs like. The gunblade's revolver-like bullet chamber was also slightly larger than the Garlean counterpart.

Both gunblades were impressive to several members of the audience. Ironwood and Winter were actually imagining the Altesian soldiers being armed with similar such weapons.

"Gimme! Please!" Ruby was heard whispering desperately as she tried to reach out and snatch the gunblades from Alaric's hands.

Feeling generous, and amused by the young Huntress-in-Training, Alaric tossed the Eorzea gunblade to Ruby. Ruby was quick to grab onto it, and started to loudly squeal as she inspected every facet of the weapon. Its chamber was devoid of any ammunition, and the blade had been dulled to the point that a butter knife was sharper than it. All this was for safety reasons of course, and so that his guests didn't get any ideas.

"I do not believe I will ever get used to her... enthusiasm for weapons," Jeanne remarked.

"It's kind of cute, though, a bit creepy how she's treating it like a baby." Maria said, not at all wrong about the whole 'treating it like a baby' thing. Ruby was cooing and cradling the gunblade in her arms as if it were an adorable baby or child. Most of the other members of the audience did not bat an eye at this, having gotten used to Ruby and her obsession with weapons.

 **In a very cinematic shot, the camera showed the moment both sides collided with one another.** **The din of battle quickly filling the air.**

 **The clang of metal striking against metal. The thud of bodies colliding with each other. The furious shouts of war cries. The wet sound of blades sinking into flesh and the crack of blunt weapons crushing bone. That and other sounds one might find in a battle were here in abundance.**

 **From atop a cliff behind the Eorzean side of the battle, three people, the leaders of the Eorzean forces, were looking on as their soldiers battled against the Garleans invaders. A woman clad in a long white dress and a leaf-shaped headgear over a pair of tall horns, and carried around a staff that looked like it were made from white stone. A large Hyur wearing segmented plates of black steel and a helmet with large horns on it. Then there was a Roegadyn woman wearing a long, black coat and boots, and kind of looked like a pirate. Alongside them were three flightless birds that were so large they could be ridden like horses.**

 **A quick cut to the other side of the battlefield, a Garlean airship was overlooking the battle from afar. Inside, the audience were shown a large man in a unique and personalised suit of Garlean armour over a red jacket, watching the battle with his arms folded.**

"Oooh, giant chickens!" Nora yelled at the sight of the giant, flightless birds.

"They look like oversized roosters to me," Fox remarked at the sight of the birds. How he was able to see what exactly was happening onscreen, despite his blindness, was still a mystery to the rest of the audience. Probably thanks to something Alaric to be honest. (Yes, Fox is blind. It was confirmed in the 'RWBY: After the Fall' novel.)

"They're called Chocobos. They commonly serve as horses for the people of Hydaelyn, as well as a few others." Alaric told the audience a moment after the Nora and Fox were finished speaking.

The idea of this world using giant birds as mounts in the place of horses was not too outlandish to the audience, and it could actually be a bit more advantageous. Being kicked by a horse was _very_ painful, but these 'chocobos' had claws at the ends of their feet and a large beak. A kick from these birds would also cut through flesh, and a bite from them could be fatal.

Yeah, the audience did not want to be in the receiving end of a charge of chocobo cavalry.

Their thoughts turning away from the chocobos, the audience focused on the people they had just seen. The three who stood at the cliff they recognised. The Hyur woman was Dew Gayl, a member of Team NDGO. The large Hyur man was Yatsuhashi, no introduction needed. While the Roegadyn woman looked like a female version of Scarlet David, Sun and Neptune's teammate, which was pretty awkward. However, the Garlean was a different story because of the helmet and mask he wore.

"Who's the Garlean leader? He looked rather tough and I must say, his armour was both impressive and intimidating." Jeanne asked Alaric.

"Hazel van Baelsar, the Legatus of XIVth Imperial Legion." Alaric answered, causing Ozpin to tense a bit at the name the Keeper spoke.

"So, those Garlean soldiers fighting are Hazel's troops?" Blake questioned. The Keeper shaking his head at her question before proceeding to answer her.

"No, those are the remains of the VIIth Legion. Hazel's there to see what will happen. Guy was also slightly involved in the death of the VIIIth Legion's Legatus, who was responsible for Dalamud's descent." Alaric told his guests.

Shock overwhelmed the audience when they learnt that it had been a Garlean who had been the cause of the red moon falling towards the planet's surface. They had assumed and been told that they were the 'bad guys', but that a Garlean was the reason why a miniature moon-like object was hazardously descending towards the surface of Hydaelyn was shocking. Alaric did not elaborate on why this unnamed Legatus had intentionally made the not-moon fall from the heavens, leaving the audience guessing as to whatever reasons were behind their actions.

At least the Legatus was ultimately punished for it.

 _ **To all of my children to whom**_ _ **Death hath passed his judgment**_

 **Back at the field of battle, the clash between the two sides was in full swing. Each warrior on either side battling for his life, heedless of the fiery debris raining down from the sky and brining ruin to the land around them.**

 **The Garleans brought to bear bipedal warmachines the height of three to four men standing on top of each other. The machines had a draconic design to them, their pilots/riders mounted on the 'neck' of the mechas, and from their 'mouths' bolts of magical energy were fired from a cannon.**

 **The Eorzeans deployed a small cavalry force of Chocobo riders against the Garleans, but the Empire's mechas were quick to open fire and decimated a good number of them before they could reach the Garlean lines.**

"Awww, poor chickens!" Nora cried when she saw the chocobos and their riders killed by a volley from the Empire's war machines.

"Chocobos," Ren corrected her. His correction probably did not register with Nora, but he made an attempt.

"Those mechas the Empire's using is 'Magitek Armour'. Exo-suits made from a unique bit of technology called 'magitek', which was first developed and is primarily utilised by the Garleans to make up for their inability to use magic." The Keeper informed his audience, who nodded at the information, a bit too taken in by the events onscreen to make any comments about this form of technology.

 _ **The soul yearns for honor, and the flesh the hereafter**_

 **In response to the deaths of the Chocobos and their riders, two mages with tall pointed hats on their heads stepped forward and cast destructive spells on the Garlean mechas. One unleashing a great fireball, while the other cast a bolt of lightning from their staves. They achieved the same ultimate effect, and destroyed two of the enemy's war machines.**

 **The camera then focused on a warrior clad in iron armour, leather and fabric lined with white fur. An enclosed helmet with a pair of horns on each side was worn over their head. While in their hands the warrior wielded a massive greataxe. This warrior charged towards the Garleans and with a mighty swing, sent three enemy soldiers flying. They followed it up with a second attack that cut down two Garleans at the same time.**

 _ **Look to those who walked before to lead those who walk after**_

 **A Garlean sword-and-shield soldier saw his chance and tried to attack the axe-wielding warrior while their back was turned. Bringing the edge of his sword down on the warrior's exposed left shoulder, the Garlean might have been able to kill the warrior if it had landed. If it had.**

 **The warrior, somehow hearing the Garlean despite the enclosing helmet over their entire head, brought up their greataxe and blocked the Garlean's blade with the haft. With a great push upwards, the warrior sent the Garlean's sword flying out of his hand, did a quick spin, and cut down their opponent with a vertical swing of their axe.**

"Huh, they're pretty good." Qrow remarked on the skills of the greataxe-wielding warrior onscreen.

The audience wondered who this person was. They had not seen the warrior's face or any obvious sign or clues as to their identity, but the audience were fairly sure that the warrior was someone they knew. More than likely someone in the audience.

 **Pausing before heading back into the fight. The warrior looked up into the sky, lifted up their helmet's visor, and locked their eyes on the crimson moon above them all. The camera did a close-up on the warrior's exposed face, and the face the audience saw was, as it had been several times before, a familiar one.**

"Ruby?!" The members of Team RWBY, JNPR, Taiyang, Qrow, and several others cried out when they saw who the warrior was. Even Zwei barked in surprise.

"Whaaaaaat?" The red-hooded girl exclaimed upon discovering that it had been her behind that iron visor. Nearly dropping the gunblade she had been holding.

Now, the audience were surprised for they had expected the warrior they had been thinking that the warrior was someone else other than Ruby. If anything, they had thought the warrior was someone who liked to use a weapon that needed a lot of strength to use. Someone who already used a weapon similar to that greataxe. Someone who liked explosions and pancakes.

I do not need to say who.

"Say hello to Ruby, the Warrior of Light." The Keeper said after giving his audience a moment to process the reveal. The title he gave this alternate version of Ruby intriguing the audience. "Well, Ruby isn't the only Warrior of Light. Adventurers fighting for Eorzea are also called that. But Ruby is a _very_ special one, but I don't have time to explain why. Keep watching."

Just how this alternate version of Ruby was unique when compared to the other Warriors of Light Alaric left the audience guessing at. Was she a highly skilled adventurer? Did she do something that made her incredibly famous throughout Eorzea? Is there some kind of unique gift that this Ruby possessed that marked her out from all of the other adventurers that dared the dangers of this world?

A few in the audience knew that their Ruby certainly did in regards to that last part.

"Awww! Look at my little sister being all cool and badass!" Yang said after recovering from this little surprise, ruffling Ruby's hair as she spoke.

"Yang! Stop embarrassing me!" Ruby cried at her as she tried to shake off her older sister.

 **WoL's attention returned to the battle at hand when bullets began to past her.**

"Heh, Stormtrooper aim." Alaric muttered to himself as he and the audience watched the bullets whiz past Ruby's alternate, despite how she was just standing there. How anyone could miss an unmoving target that was standing in the open was honestly baffling to the audience.

 **One of the bullets was able to hit Ruby, but was only able to strike her helmet. The warrior recoiled from the strike and fell on one knee, one hand covering her face while the other held onto her greataxe for support.**

 **A quick cut to the direction from where the bullets had come from, revealed even more Garlean troops advancing towards Ruby's position. Among them, even more units of magitek armour.**

 **To the relief of most of the audience, aid came swiftly.**

 **Two Garleans were shot down by two arrows as they tried to charge at the incapacitated Ruby. The arrows had been fired by a female Miqo'te archer with light tan skin and dusky rose colour hair, who then leapt into the air and cast a blue protective shield around Ruby whilst in mid-air. The shield protected Ruby from more bullets fired at her, as a Lalafell mage came up to her and began to heal the warrior.**

 **The archer landed on the ground in front of Ruby, and was swiftly joined by two others. An Elezen mage carrying a staff, wearing predominantly black heavy robes and a tall pointed hat, one of the two mages who destroyed those Garlean mechas earlier from the look of him. And a Roegadyn warrior in plate armour bearing a sword-and-shield combo knocked aside a pair of Garlean soldiers with his shield.**

 **Rather unsurprisingly, these new arrivals were alternates of people the audience knew or had heard of in their universe.**

 **The first to come to Ruby's aid, the Miqo'te archer, was May Zedong of Team BRNZ. Though they could barely see the Elezen mage's face underneath their black hat and scarf, the audience saw the black-clad mage was in actuality Doctor Oobleck. The Lalafell's identity took some effort, but they were able to figure out that the diminutive creature was in fact a little, not-robotic, version of Penny. The Roegadyn that joined in was Hei 'Junior' Xiong, a bit of a surprise this one.**

Of course, everyone was rather surprised by this mixed group of individuals, but quickly got over it and took a moment to examine the alternates onscreen.

None of them had ever met May before, so the audience did not have much to say on her. That she was a member of a species of people with cat ears and tails, and the fact May seemed to be a mix of archer and mage was something, but other than that not too much else.

That mage being Oobleck was not too much of a surprise for those who played video games, for they could imagine the History professor being a mage if he played a fantasy game. That he cast fireballs from a staff also brought to mind their own Oobleck's weapon. Oobleck himself did not mind his appearance in this universe, and wondered how many years of training this version of him needed to become what he was now.

Junior as a Roegadyn seemed to suit him in the eyes of the few who knew him. The guy was as large as a bear and had the strength to back it up.

Lalafell Penny was... a thing. Penny herself was puzzled and analysing this other version of herself, drawing parallels between this alternate her and the people from the Chibi-verse in regards to their body proportions. This was weird even for Penny, but she was glad that another her was helping and friends with Ruby.

"These people are also adventurers, as well as Warriors of Light. Just wanted to let you know," Alaric notified his guests.

 _ **Shining is the Land's light of justice**_

 **The Lalafell version of Penny was quickly able to heal Ruby, who cast aside her damaged helmet, and sprinted back into the fight after thanking the diminutive mage. The other four adventurers joining Ruby's alternate self in her renewed attack onthe Garleans.**

 **Oobleck began to ready a new spell, while May loosed another arrow and struck down a Garlean who stood in the charging Ruby's path. Ruby let out a quick war cry and swung their axe, cutting down a Garlean and sending his body off to the side. Junior bashed his shield against an enemy soldier in his path, knocking them off their feet.**

 **Ruby then gripped the haft of her greataxe with both hands and swung it in a circle two times. This act not only allowed her to mow down two more Garlean soldiers, but it somehow lifted her off the ground by half-a-metre and a strong gust of wind followed her axehead. Junior spun their sword and thrust it forward, the blue light that burst from its blade killing two Garleans.**

 _ **Ever flows the Land's well of purpose**_

 **One of the magitek mechas' mouths opened, preparing to fire its deadly weaponry at the warriors of Eorzea. That was when the Oobleck finished readying his spell and cast it at the mecha, a fireball erupted from the head of their staff and rocketing towards the suit of magitek armour.**

 **The mechas' rider could only raise their arms in an instinctive, if vain, attempt to defend themselves, as they saw the fireball swiftly approached them. The explosion that followed was fairly impressive for those who were into that kind of thing.**

The audience were impressed by how Ruby and the other Warriors of Light were able to easily dispatch the Garlean soldiers and their war machines. Plenty of these Garleans must be professionally trained soldiers, yet this ragtag band of adventurers were mopping the floor with them.

No one else was more impressed than Ruby, who really liked whenever they saw a heroic alternate version of herself in one of these viewings. She did wish this version of her had a super cool weapon, the greataxe was an amazing classic, but the red-hooded girl did wish she wielded something way cooler. Still, she was doing absolutely awesome against the Garleans.

 **Another scene change occurred, this time it was a view of the battlefield from one of the cliffs that overlooked the plain. Standing near the edge was a white-haired man wearing a white vest over a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and shoes, and goggles worn on his forehead. He also wore a black gauntlet over his left arm.**

 **Safe and far away enough from the battle, the man looked up at the red moon without the fear of getting shot. Though his hair and attire were different, the audience recognised the man's face to be Mercury Black's.**

 _ **Walk free, walk free, walk free, believe...**_

"Hm, it's that Mercury boy." Ghira muttered to himself more than everyond else.

There was something about the grey themed boy that made the Chieftain of Menagerie not like him. Sure he did not like Sun as well, but that was because of the monkey faunus' attraction towards his precious daughter. He was also not sure about Blake's partner and teammate, Yang, whose love of bad puns did not help her case. This was something else, however, and the panther faunus resolved to keep a close eye on Mercury.

"What's he in all this?" Weiss asked. The heiress wondering why he was overlooking the battle, and whose side he was on.

"Mercury nan Garlond is his name here. He's a Garlean defector who works with Ruby, her group of associates and the Eorzean Alliance. Man's a damn fine engineer, and a great airship pilot." Alaric replied to their questions.

 **The camera then focused on one of the protrusions that dotted the moon-like orb. Cracks began to grow in the area around where the protrusion was embedded, an intense bright blue light leaking out from them as whatever the protrusions were looked as if they were being pushed out from the orb.**

 **After a few seconds, it was.**

 **Like a titanic spear flung from the hand of a god, the thing was ejected from the red moon and stabbed into the battleground where the Eorzeans and Garleans fought. The impact sent a cloud of dust and rock across the plain, and a quick shot showed Ruby had been knocked to the ground by it.** **The fighting between the soldiers of the Eorzean Alliance and the Garlean Empire halted, as both sides looked up at the giant spear that loomed over the plain. And then to the crimson moon that hung malevolently above them.**

 _ **The Land is alive, so believe...**_

Now, the audience did not understand _why_ there had been spears lodged into Dalamud. Yet, despite a lack of information, they knew that this was a sign of terrible things to come. _Very_ terrible things.

"That's-That's not a good thing." Velvet murmured, steeling herself for whatever was about to happen next.

"Yeah. I have a very bad feeling about this." Oscar added, voicing his own concerns regarding the events onscreen.

Alaric made no attempt to suggest or tease his audience through some sly or cryptic remark. Just letting them watch and see what was coming next.

 **The great sphere then fractured, the cracks that dominated its surface were torn open even further as even more of the spear-like protrusions were thrust out from it, and something churned underneath. At the top of the moon, an enormous shape began to emerge. A shape that inspired awe into the hearts of all who saw it, both in-universe and in the audience.**

 _ **SUFFER [Feel] PROMISE [Think] WITNESS [Teach] REASON [Hear]**_

 **Rising from its ancient prison was a gargantuan western dragon, with a body covered in black scales and adorned with gold. The ancient beast growled before letting out a terrifying roar as it unfurled its vast wings. Its eyes burned bright and red with an unquenchable wrath that it had been force to nurse for eons. A wrath that it would visit upon _all_ things that trod the surface of this world.**

 _ **WEATHER [Sleep] WANDER [Sleep] ANSWER [Sleep on]**_

First glance on the massive dragon creature emerging from Dalamud caused the audience to freeze in shock. Hearing its furious roar made them flinch upon hearing it. Their shock of the dragon's appearance was also accompanied bh a good number of questions. Such as; why was there a dragon iinside Dalamud in the first place? Had the Legatus of the Garlean VIIth Legion known the dragon was inside the red moon? Probably the most important and immediate question the audience asked themselved was how the beast could be stopped or killed?

"Holy hell! What is that?!" Taiyang yelled at the sight of the dragon emerging from Dalamud. If it wasn't so terrifying, he would consider this entire scene incredibly stunning to watch. Actually, you could say this entire scene was terrifyingly stunning.

Yeah, that could work.

"This is bad! Very, very, very bad!" Jaune said with an audible nervous gulp. His female counterpart from an alternate universe sharing his reaction.

"Is that a dragon? Why was there a dragon in Dalamud?!" Blake questioned, still trying to process what she was seeing right now.

"This is turning up to eleven very quickly." Raven commented rather calmly, though, inside she was terrified by the sight of the beast like everyone else.

"Behold Bahamut, the Dreadwyrm. One of the most powerful Primals to ever terrorise Hydaelyn," Alaric proclaimed. A strong hint of admiration and pity lacing his voice.

"'Primals'?" Ozpin asked, wondering why the Keeper had used that term instead dragon, or something related to dragon, to describe this gargantuan monster. Unless, Bahamut was not a dragon, and only possessed the appearance of a dragon.

Such a conclusion only brought a new question to the minds of the audience. What exactly was a Primal?

"Primals are powerful magical entities summoned into being through an abundance of aether, and manifested into a physical form by people's prayers and beliefs. Aether is the source of magic and life in this world." Alaric explained to them, no doubt knowing the question on their minds. "No matter what they are, these Primals are a danger to this world, for they draw upon the aether of the world to sustain their existence, and enthrall people into serving them. Whether the Primal desires to or not."

The information about the Primals was incredible to the audience members. But, they did not let their astonishment of this feat to cloud the possible pros and cons that may come with the summoning of a Primal. The two negatives of a Primal's existences as stated by the Keeper already making the audience see why summoning one was probably a bad thing in the long run.

The Keeper had said the Primals could be summoned through prayers and beliefs, but he had not stated whether the intentions behind their creation were meant to be solely for benevolent purposes. Bahamut, the audience believed, was most definitely not summoned into being for any purpose than the inflicting of death upon others.

"So someone intentionally summoned that-that thing?!" Kali questioned him, disbelief in her voice.

"Eh, you'll do crazy things when in the throes of grief. This primal is the 'resurrection' of a dragon's lost mate, but he didn't turn out the way she expected or wanted." Alaric's response surprised the aufience, who had expected a markedly different backstory for Bahamut. "He got sealed away in Dalamud by an ancient and highly advanced civilisation. But now he's free and absolutely pissed!"

Hearing this, as mentioned before, really surprised the audience. Bahamut, contrary to their earlier belief, had not been been created out of anger or a want for death, but out of grief for a lost loved one. Learning this made plenty in the audience understand why they sensed pity in Alaric's voice, a few even beginning to pity him as well. Admittedly, the damn thing was still terrifying, and the world would be better off without it.

 _ **Now open your eyes while our plight is repeated**_

 **With a second even mightier roar, Bahamut shattered the artificial moon that had served as his prison, casting countless bits of debris down to the insects below him. Giving the insignificant creatures a taste of the ruin that it would visit upon them.**

 **In a scene that could only be described as apocalyptic, the debris of Dalamud rained down on the lands surrounding the battlefield.** **Wherever the remains of Dalamud struck the ground, pillars of lava and flame shot into the air.**

 **Hills were reduced to nothing, blasted apart by falling rubble from Dalamud. Forests were utterly eviscerated or burnt to cinders as fiery debris crashed into the trees and set them aflame. The stone walls and buildings of nearby cities proved no match to the onslaught, and were quickly reduced to smouldering rubble. The lives of thousands of Eorzea's people were suddenly cut short in a fiery conflagration from the sky.**

 _ **Still deaf to our cries, lost in hope we lie defeated**_

 _ **Our souls have been torn, and our bodies forsaken**_

 **Its malicious pursuit for vengeance still burning hot within it, the Primal took flight and decided to take a personal hand in the obliteration of all the world's people.**

 **Coursing through the sky with its great wings, Bahamut let out another roar and cast countless flares that intently sought out anything to destroy. Swooping down on a city, Bahamut released several flares upon it and seemingly destroyed over half of it with this single attack.**

 **Nothing was safe from Bahamut. Nothing.**

 _ **Bearing sins of the past, for our future is taken**_

All of the audience were appalled by the destruction the Primal was causing, yes, even Raven.

No Grimm in recorded history was capable of this level of destruction and death, and in so short a time. They could also see why Alaric had numbered Bahamut among the most powerful Primals of this universe, and dreaded what other Primals might be capable of.

 **Back at the plain where the Eorzeans and Garleans had battled, both armies were in full flight. There was no order. No attempt to maintain any sense of martial pride or dignity. All the combatants were desperately trying to get away from Bahamut's unbridled fury.**

 **The former battlefield was littered with the bodies of fallen Eorzean and Garlean soldiers, and even Warriors of Light. Banners of both sides, once proudly held aloft, had been cast aside by those who had once carried them into battle. Wounded men and women also lay on the ground, and unfortunately plenty were left where they lay, but a few were picked up by their comrades as they tried to retreat.**

 **In all the chaos, Ruby and her four companions stood, their comrades running past them in terror, and the land around them alight with fire. But they stood not out of a defiant or foolhardy attempt to battle the great dragon Primal. They stood there out of hopeless despair, for they had tried to prevent this. They had learnt far too late that the Garlean Empire had been planning to bring Dalamud down on Eorzea, and they had acted to prevent the destruction it would bring. Yet, despite their efforts, they had failed to stop Dalamund's descent and Bahamut's release.**

 **And ruination had come not just to Eorzea, but the world, because of their failure.**

 ** _Bearing sins of the past, for our future is taken_**

 **Bahamut flew past and released another volley of flares. A few darting towards Ruby and her fellow Warriors of Light.**

 **However, before the flares could come near and incinerate the group, they were blocked by a crystalline shield that manifested out of nowhere. Amazed at how they were still alive, the group looked around for the whoever was casting this shield. When they looked behind them, the group saw a lone figure standing atop a cliff. An old dark-skinned Elezen man with a beard and receding hair coloured silver bearing a magic staff.**

 _ **Tell us why, given Life, we are meant to die, helpless in our cries?**_

"Hey it's Professor Ozpin!" Weiss pointed at the screen, though, it took the others a moment to recognise the old Elezen mage as the Headmaster of Beacon. When they did, they nodded their heads and agreed with the Schnee heiress.

"Certainly an older looking version of you, sir." Goodwitch commented to her superior.

"Really? That's Ozpin? Hm, almost didn't think it was him for a moment. His face is... different." Sun said to Neptune, who agreed with his best friend.

Ozpin, having overheard Sun, looked at this other version of himself and saw that he was indeed different in ways that only he seemed to fully realise. Not only was he an Elezen, his facial features were actually a melding of his current incarnation and that of his first life. No doubt Alaric had known this in advance, and chosen to show this universe to continue in his efforts to get under the Headmaster's skin.

The only other person who seemed to notice the blending of Ozpin and Ozma's features was the Salem from Remnant's alternate past. This increased her suspicions of the Headmaster. He knew something about her, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Just glancing at her seemed to make something crack within the man, so he'd done his best to avoid meeting her eyes or even look at her for too long. She'd found out why in time.

"In this universe, this is Ozpin Leveilleur. A highly respected mage, and leader of a special group Ruby is a member of. 'The Circle of Knowing', a group who had devoted themselves to preventing prophesied event of great calamity, the seventh of many." The Keeper informed the audience. "Dalamud would have caused a calamity, and in a way, it has through Bahamut's release."

 **The great mage was able to complete his shield, creating a perfect crystalline dome over himself, the Warriors of Light and the three Eorzean leaders. The effort though was visibly taxing for him and Ozpin frowned against the strain of trying to maintain the shield against the power of the Primal.**

 **Try as Ozpin might, however, the shield he cast lasted only a couple seconds before it was shattered by Bahamut. He desperately tried to reform the shield, but a sudden gust of gale-force wind shattered the shield and almost sent the old Elezen off his feet.**

 **In a terrifying scene which the audience were thankful they were not there to personally witness, they watched as Bahamut slowly lowered himself so he could levitate before Ozpin and Ruby's group. His wings covering him. The dragon primal then opened his wings wide, parting the clouds around him, revealing himself in all his dark and destructive glory and might. Allowing the pitiful creatures beneath him one final look on their merciless destroyer.**

 **Yet, hope, as it will sometimes do in times of such soul-crushing despair, arose from its hiding place to confront the immeasurable odds before it.**

 **As Bahamut was preparing his next attack, great pillars of blue light, eleven in all, shot up into the sky. From all over Eorzea did the pillars suddenly erupt from.**

 _ **Witness [FEEL] Suffer [THINK] Borrow [TEACH] Reason [HEAR]**_

 **The camera then cut to a view of three separate locations, all of them a source of one of the great pillars of light that now illuminated the land and sky. At one, a shrine in a forested region, a Lalafell and a young Hyur woman with a dark mask over her eyes were knelt in prayer. Over at another location, a young Hyur man was also knelt before a shrine in what looked like a stone temple. While at the third location, a Miqo'te was kneeling before a shrine atop a broken stone overlook or balcony.**

 _ **Follow [FEEL] Stumble [THINK] Wander [TEACH] Listen [BLINK]**_

 **Back at the plane, a twelfth pillar of light shot up from behind Ozpin, and, with a thrust of his staff into the air, a giant magical spear was formed from the pillar behind him. The other pillars of light doing the same.**

 _ **Whisper [BLINK] Shoulder [BLINK] Ponder [BLINK] Weather [HEAR]**_

 **The spears hung in the air for a brief moment, Bahamut himself pausing at their sudden appearance, but let out a defiant and angry roar. No spell, weapon, or trick these puny creatures or their deities would be able to stop him. The spears shot into the air, then flew at Bahamut, their sharp tips pointed at the Primal.**

 **Acting quickly, Bahamut shielded himself with his wings, guarding himself from whatever attack or damage these mortal conjurations could do to him. Yet the spears were not meant to strike the Primal down, that was not their intent. What the spears were really meant to do was help contain Bahamut, for a massive spell circle that spanned many, many kilometres materialised as the spikes connected, and began forming a second prison for the Primal. One that was very similar to Dalamud.**

 _ **Answer [LOOK] Answer [THINK] Answer together**_

A lot of things just happened in the last few scenes, and it was understandable if Alaric's guests were confused. Which they were.

"That's a damn incredible sight to see." Ironwood admitted, despite his confusion in regards to what was happening.

"Are they resealing Bahamut?" Blake asked as she and the others watched the Primal becoming incased in this new prison of his. Why they were not trying to kill the creature was unclear to them.

"Okay, I think I'm starting to lose the plot in this one. What exactly is happening here?" Ren said, voicing the audience's shared confusion towards the events onscreen.

"Yeah, it took me a while to understand as when I first saw and recorded this for the Repository. I'll just tell you a very short summary, okay?" The other people present in the viewing room nodded thankfully to Alaric. An explanation form the Keeper was desperately needed for them to understand just what the heck was going on. "Ozpin and the Circle of Knowing have begun a ritual where, through the prayers and hopes of thousands of Eorzea's people, they trap Bahamut again. Admittedly, it was originally meant to be used to stop Dalamud's descent on the world, but plans change."

Once again the audience were exposed to even more near fantastical things that populated the Multiverse. They could only imagine if such a thing was possible on Remnant, and what might happen if the collective desire to rid the world of Grimm was harnessed in some way. Who knows, Alaric may, but he wasn't going to say a word if there was a universe where it was possible.

Their minds turned away from the sealing spell that was entrapping Bahamut, and towards the people who had been at those shrines. Despite how they were only onscreen for a couple seconds, the audience were able to recognise who they were.

The Lalafell at the first shrine was barely recognised by the two Schnee sisters to be none other than Klein, their beloved family butler who more or less raised them and their brother. Sure he was one of those weird Lalafells, yet Winter and Weiss were happy to see another version of Klein.

Speaking of the Schnee sisters, the Hyur woman knelt beside him also drew their attention. Though she wore a dark mask, one that reminded the audience of the mask Adam Taurus wore, and wore a turban over her hair, the audience felt that this young woman was one of the Schnee sisters. One of them, for though the audience wanted to say that she was Winter, there was something that made them think otherwise. Why exactly, the audience could not place, and one look at Alaric told him that he was not going say a word.

On the other hand, the audience immediately saw the Hyur man at that temple to be Neptune. His blue hair making him instantly recognisable. To be honest, this version of Neptune didn't look bad, and that haircut of his was pretty decent.

Like how they immediately identified Neptune's alternate, the audience were also able to recognise who the Miqo'te woman at the broken overlook or balcony was an alternate version of. She was Blake.

"Those people at the shrines were Klein Totolymo, _Winter_ Hext, Neptune Waters, and Blake Rhul. All of them members of the Circle of Knowing. There are other members, but these four will do for now."

Well, they knew a bit of who these people were. Time would only tell if they survived the events onscreen.

 **The sealing spell was nearly complete, it required only a few more seconds until it was done. In a circle, the glyphs of Eorzea's twelve patron gods began to rise, signalling their summoning and the nearing completion of the spell. Throughout the entirety of Eorzea, and in the hearts of most of the audience, there was hope that Bahamut could be contained and the world forever safe from his wrath.**

 **But, it was at this most critical of moments that such hopes were seemingly dashed to the wind.**

 **For as Bahamut's new prison neared completion, it exploded like a star that has gone supernova, shattering the sealing spell that encircled the Primal. Sending out a massive shockwave that almost knocked over Ozpin and those still on the field of battle. In the prison and circle's place now hung an immense and ever expanding sphere of lava that was equal to, or larger than, Dalamud's size. At the centre of it lay Bahamut, his arms raised to summon his ultimate attack. An attack that would destroy all.**

 **The Warrior of Light and her fellow heroes of Eorzea looked up at their coming doom, defeated looks on their face. Their hopes of sealing the Primal dashed to the winds.**

 ** _In one fleeting moment, from the Land doth life flow_**

Seeing the sealing spell shatter actually made the hearts of most of the audience quail at the display of Bahamut's power. What terrified them even more was the massive ball of magma and flame that now surrounded Bahamut.

"This is... looking rather grim," Salem muttered while she stared at the Primal.

"Okay. What is happening now?!" Yang questioned as she and the rest of Team RWBY held each others hands. All of them hoping beyond hope that Bahamut might be stopped before he destroyed the world in his rage. Same went for other members of the audience.

"Bahamut is creating what is known as a Teraflare. Probably the most powerful attack every incarnation that dragon possesses throughout the Multiverse. This version, and one other from a related universe branch, have tried to use this attack to decimate entire worlds." Alaric explained to his guests.

Learning this was a big shocker to the audience, and only served to eclipse whatever pity they had for Bahamut with fear. That apparently _all_ versions of Bahamut though out the Multiverse could perform Teraflare, or a version of it, struck terror into all of the audience. Here's hoping there isn't a version of Bahamut in their worlds.

 **Ozpin, who was forced onto one knee, and the head of his staff broken off due to the force of Bahamut's breaking of his second cage, made a hard decision. Probably one of the hardest in his life.**

 **The old Elezen man slammed the remains of his staff against the stone ground and thrust his hand outwards, a symbol like that of an hourglass erupting from it in a burst of white energy. Over by Ruby and the few remaining warriors of Eorzea that remained at the plane, blue light began to envelop them before they vanished completely.** **The last to vanish being Ruby.**

 **Once they were all gone, Ozpin turned his head up to face Bahamut's Teraflare. Written on his face was a saddened but accepting expression as he closed his eyes, and the screen turned completely white.**

 ** _In the same fleeting moment thou must live, die and know_**

The hearts of most of the audience sank at seeing what Elezen Ozpin had done for Ruby and the others, as well as the look that he wore on his face before the screen faded to white. They guessed that Ozpin had teleported them away to somewhere safe, but where exactly could one be safe from Bahamut's Teraflare?

 **The whiteness that had enveloped the entire TV screen faded away to reveal Ozpin, who, to the amazement of himself and the audience, was still alive. However, he was not at the field of battle where he had just stood, having accepted his death.**

 **No, the Elezen now stood in an ethereal world of varying shades of blue. Silently levitating around him were the twelve crystalline spears that had tried to seal Bahamut.**

"Um, what's going on here? Was Ozpin teleported away as well?" Pyrrha wondered aloud. Like everyone else, she was relieved and more than a little confused by what was currently going on right now.

"What's up with the spears?" Neptune also asked. He and plenty others were still tackling with how Bahamut had broken the sealing spell. What was happening now?

To the annoyance of many, Alaric remained silent. Refusing to say so much as a word to them about what was going on to them. In all likelihood, the Keeper would explain later on or not at all. Hopefully the former.

 **One by one, beams of light shot out from the spears and focused on Ozpin, the Elezen beginning to radiate with a blue aura. Though no words had been exchanged between him and the twelve spears, Ozpin understood what was going on, and what it was that he was meant to do.**

 **The scene the transitioned back to the reality, back the to burning and devastated plain. Ozpin was now stood upon on both his feet, his eyes still shut. Now, however, surrounding him was the blue aura that had began to surround him in the vision he had experience, the aura growing stronger and larger with each passing second. Much like Bahamut's Teraflare, which was only expanding as the Primal put even more power into it.**

 **When Ozpin did at last open his eyes, there was no sadness or despair. Only pure and absolute conviction in what he was about to do for the sake of Eorzea and Hydaelyn.**

 **To the surprise of all, the instant Ozpin's eyes opened he shot into the sky in speeds that eclipsed that of Remnant's fastest airship. Actually leaving a crater where he had once stood a second ago. Like a brilliant lance of light, Ozpin shot upwards and towards Bahamut's Teraflare, creating a magical barrier that might repel the Primal's attack.**

"Holy shit!" Qrow swore as he watched the Ozpin onscreen tear through the sky and confront Bahamut. The veteran huntsman knew their Ozpin was no joke, you don't become Headmaster of a Huntsman Academy for nothing, but what they were seeing was something else all together. It was pretty badass to watch if Qrow and several other members of the audience were to be honest.

"My word! I don't think I've ever seen that kind of look on your face before, Oz." Port truthfully remarked. Few people nowadays had ever seen Ozpin fight, and most of the time he wore a mask of calmness. This was quite the change for the audience.

"Fyi, Ozpin has become a Primal. It actually is possible in the right circumstances," Alaric began to finally explain. "Here, the twelve patron gods of Eorzea gave Ozpin their blessing, infused him with aether, and prayers for salvation from Eorzea's people turning him into a Primal. Crazy, eh?"

So people could also turn into Primals? The more the audience learnt, the more complicated things seemed to become.

 **Bahamut, seeing that Ozpin attempting to forestall his ultimate vengeance on the world, lashed out at the Elezen and shot a burst of fire at him. Ozpin buckled under Bahamut's attack, but the elderly Elezen man held firm and maintained his barrier. For the future of Eorzea, his grandchildren and the world, he could not allow Bahamut to win this day.**

 **The dragon Primal saw his attack failed to break either the Elezen and the barrier, and so, he came before Ozpin himself and struck at him. Bringing his mighty head down on his foe.**

 **This seemed to succeed, for the barrier that Ozpin had erected shattered like Dalamud and the sealing spell before it, and the Teraflare fell unimpeded towards the surface.**

The audience said nothing and collectively held their breath.

Had Ozpin been beaten? Was Bahamut triumphant?

Their questions were answered moments later, as something remarkable happened.

 **As the Teraflare's lowest point looked like it was a hair's breadth from impacting on the ground, it slowed and then stopped. A moment later, it was then pushed back.**

 **Ozpin, unwilling to surrender, still resisted against Bahamut and his Teraflare. Harnessing the aether that had massed at the plain in large amounts, and the hopes of thousand of Eorzea's people, Ozpin continued to fight back. The aura that surrounded him was now brighter, so much so that it was starting to become hard to make out Ozpin's shape in all of it.**

 **In a great surge of energy that sent a shockwave across the land, Ozpin pushed through Bahamut's Teraflare. Breaking it apart and turning the lava into hardened rock as he passed.**

 **At the very top of the nearly solidified Teraflare, in an explosion of light, Bahamut and Ozpin emerged. The Elezen Primal having pushed the vastly larger dragon Primal through his own Teraflare and out into the upper atmosphere.** **Blue light then speared through Bahamut's chest and out of his back, countless crystals and Ozpin shooting out from the mortal wound that had been dealt to the ancient Primal.** **A quick shot of Bahamut from behind showed that a large hole had been torn into his torso.**

 **That it had been Ozpin's alternate self who was the cause of it amazed many in the audience.**

 **Focusing on Ozpin, the audience saw, to their confusion, that the old Elezen mage was completely stone still. That was when they noticed that Ozpin's body was now almost pure crystal, the only part that had not yet been crystallised was his face. It did not remain so for long, as it too turned to bluish crystal. The moment he did, he shattered into countless tiny pieces.**

 **Bahamut's fate was no different than his slayer's. He too began to crystallise, and once the process was done, Bahamut too shattered into countless pieces.**

 **And with that the screen turned to black.**

Seeing it was done, the audience took a moment to process the final moments that had happened in this viewing. What they had just watched was... quite a lot, and it took a while before someone said anything.

"Well, that's over." Ghira calmly spoke, encouraging the other members of the audience to speak up and voice their thoughts and opinions on this viewing.

"That was actually... actually very beautiful. Terrifying at times, but beautiful. Particularly the latter part of the viewing," Goodwitch stated her own thoughts on the viewing. Many agreeing with her. The things they had witnessed and learned had been terrifying, but also remarkably stunning.

"Same here," Yatsuhashi and a few other students of Beacon said.

Zwei added his own thoughts to the mix through a series of loud barks and growls. Just what exactly the black and white corgi meant, if he was even trying to say anything in the first place, was unknown to everyone except Alaric. The Keeper silently nodded in acknowledgement of the Zwei's barks, and carried on listening to what the audience had to say on this viewing.

Ozpin himself was silent. Whatever he was thinking unknown to everyone apart from Alaric.

"Let's hope that Ozpin's death wasn't in vain." Taiyang hopefully remarked, though, he then frowned at what he said a few moments later. "Man, that was actually weird to say. Guess I ain't completely used to this whole 'Multiverse' thing."

"At least Bahamut's dead. That's a good thing," Jeanne jumped in and said. Completely sure that the dragon Primal could not have possibly survived the hole being torn into his chest, the fact that he exploded into millions of pieces helped reinforce that belief. Alaric knew better, but elected to say nothing.

"What happened to this universe's Ruby and the others that got teleported away? Are they okay?" Ruby questioned, incredibly concerned for this universe's version of herself and for her companions.

"They survived, and were among the few people who survived that battle. Coming back five years later to a realm reborn." With that, Alaric took out his remote and began to prepare the next universe for his guests to watch.

* * *

 **There we go, another chapter done.**

 **Next, I'm going to try for a more modern setting. I make no promises on if that will happen or not.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see.**


	38. Avatar: The Last Airbender-Tale of Iroh

**Author's Note:**

 **Hey there everyone. Kept you waiting, huh?**

 **The reason it took me a while to update is because I've been mostly focusing on my Demi-Human fanfic. Also tried writing a chapter on the 501st Journal cutscenes from the first Stars Wars Battlefront II, but I chose to write this honestly because it would be shorter and easier to write**

 **Oh, and one last thing before we start. I am thinking of doing a chapter where a certain few members of the audience watch 'The Lost Fable' _very_ soon. Now, this is going to be big. Very, very, very big.**

 **So I really have to put a good deal of time and thought considering what I'm going to do in that chapter and who will watch it. The current idea I'm going with is that the 'essentials' or main characters are the ones going to watch 'The Lost Fable'. There will be other people in the audience, but those who actually learnt of Remnant's hidden past in the episode are guaranteed to be present.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

 **Avatar: The Last Airbender - Tale of Iroh**

After the _incredibly_ catastrophic events of the last viewing, Alaric had allowed his guests a moment to themselves. To wind down and put the thoughts of the previous viewing away for now.

Deeming them adequately rested, Alaric called those present in the room back to their seats.

"So, you all ready for this next universe?" The Keeper inquired to his guests.

"Yup," Ruby replied as she jumped onto RWBY's sofa with a bowl of strawberries and whipped cream.

"Primed and ready to go!" Sun also responded to the keeper as he peeled the skin off of a banana his tail was holding.

Others also expressed their readiness to watch whatever it was that the Keeper had in mind. Not that they had much of a choice anyway.

Zwei the Corgi decided to climb onto Ren and rest on him this time around. This time, Zwei felt like having a bit of elevation, so instead of laying on Ren's lap, he climbed onto and rested atop his head. Nora immediately let out an excited flurry of words at the adorable sight of the corgi resting on top of Ren's head. Ren paid Zwei no mind, and quickly scratched the top of the corgi's head before letting him be.

"Good. I've chosen for a... calmer viewing this time around." The Keeper's words earning a bit of interested eyebrow-raising from his guests. "No world-changing events here. Thought you lot might like that."

The audience were largely gladdened by the Keeper's choice for this next viewing. For after the few action-packed viewings they'd recently watched, something like what Alaric had described sounded good to them. Certainly something they needed after that last one.

 **The screen faded to an aerial view of a massive city protected by three stone walls that were at least a hundred metres in height, which also divided the city into three segments. Though an incredible sight to be sure, the city was not what Alaric wanted to show them, as the camera quickly zoomed to a marketplace within the walled city and focused on an old man as he walked through it.**

 **This old man, who the audience did not recognise, had a kindly and wise mentor vibe to him that the audience members could not shake off. Contributing to this vibe was how his face, though old and rocking an impressive grey beard that reached below his chest, had an optimistic energy that belied his many years. He wore clothes and a conical hat that brought to mind the fashion worn by those from the Kingdom of Mistral and other eastern civilisations.**

 **In fact, everyone in the city did. Many wearing some shade of green in their clothing if they could afford.**

Now, while Alaric had assured them they would not see anything world changing, the size of the city was absolutely astonishing to them. It looked to be as large or larger than the City of Vale, and judging from its architecture and the clothing of its citizens, this city's level of technology was several centuries behind Vale. Let's not forget the massive walls that surrounded and divided up the city.

As far as the audience were aware, it must have taken several lifetimes for them to be completed. How they could have been constructed in the first place by people of this technology level was a question that also rang through their minds.

"Welcome to Ba Sing Se. Capitol and last free city of the Earth Kingdom." Alaric informed his audience with a dramatic gesture of his arms. Moments later, he dropped his arms and pointed a finger to the old man onscreen. "And say hello to Iroh, he'll be the focus of this viewing."

"Hello Mr Iroh!" Penny and Nora said in greeting to the old man, waving an arm as they did.

"He seems... normal enough." Winter cautiously stated. Despite Alaric's assurance that this viewing would be a calmer one, she and a few others remained on guard in case things picked up all of a sudden.

"'Earth Kingdom.' A certainly interesting name for a nation," Oobleck pondered to himself.

 **Iroh walked up to one of the shops in the marketplace that sold a large assortment of baskets of varying styles. As he was inspecting one of the products on sale, the shop owner noticed Iroh's interest and walked up to him.**

 **"If this is for a romantic picnic, may I suggest this lavender one?" The shop owner recommended to Iroh, placing a hand on a finely decorated basket with flowery desings on its exterior.**

 **"No, it's not a romantic picnic, but it is a special occasion." Iroh declined the shop owner's offer, while taking out a coin and paying for the basket he had been inspecting earlier. The shop owner graciously accepting Iroh's payment.**

 **As he was leaving the shop with his new basket, Iroh noticed the man kept a beautiful flower in small vase at his shop. The flower, though, seemed to have wilted. Recognising the flower and the reason for its state, Iroh gently pushed the vase into the shade, and in an instant the flower regained its vitality and bloomed.**

 **"The moon flower likes partial shade." Iroh advised the shop owner, who was glad for the advise. His business here done, Iroh departed from the basket shop for he had much to do before the day was over.**

"He certainly seems like a nice man." Jeanne muttered to herself before going on to take a bit of a 'crepe', as Jaune name this pancake-like food that he'd suggested she try out.

"I don't know why, but I get these cool and upbeat mentor feels when I look at him." Jaune also added to his female counterpart's comment.

"Really? Well, I feel like he's some guy's badass uncle or something." Neptune spoke up as well, adding his thoughts to the mix. Others in the audience weren't sure where Neptune got the idea Iroh was 'badass' in any way, but they supposed that it was best to wait and see.

Who knows. Maybe Iroh was a badass.

 **The screen cut to another scene where Iroh was now stood at another shop on the marketplace. This time, it was one that sold musical instruments.**

 **His perusal of the shop was interrupted by the easily identifable crying of a child. Turning round, Iroh and the audience saw a small boy sobbing in the middle of the street while his mother tried to console him.**

 **"Shhh. It's okay. Shhh." The mother said in her attempt to break her child out of his sobbing state. However, try as she might, the child kept crying.**

"Huh. Reminds me of when you girls were little. Remember when-" Taiyang started to say, but was immediately interrupted by his two daughters.

"Dad!" Ruby and Yang cried out at him in embarrassed alarm. They'd agreed to never talk about that incident ever again. Neither together in private or in front of other people in public.

Taiyang laughed at his daughter's embarrassed reactions and stopped. But another person related to Ruby and Yang decided to carry on where he started.

"Oh yeah. I know what you mean. We were grocery shopping when Yang-" Qrow started to say after realising just what it was that his brother-in-law was talking about. Of course, neither Yang or Ruby wanted him to finish as well, and were quick to prevent him from doing so.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang yelled in protest to the veteran Huntsman. Ruby, however, had a more inventive way to keep her awesome uncle quiet.

"Zwei! Operation Little Butt! Target: Uncle Qrow!" The red-hooded girl shouted at the top of her voice as she stood up and pointed a finger at Qrow.

Immediately upon hearing Ruby's command, Zwei leapt up from his position on Ren's lap, and launched himself at Qrow. The aforementioned red caped Huntsman had only enough time to form a startled look on his face, before the corgi was able to successfully headbutt him. To the surprise of all, Zwei struck Qrow with enough force to knock him unconscious right then and there.

The others in the audience, Alaric included, were more than a little startled to see that just happen. They were amused as well, but that was outweighed by the shock they felt at seeing a veteran Huntsmen get knocked out by a dog.

Raven shook her head at how her brother was beaten by a dog of all things. Winter hide to resist the urge to laugh at Qrow and the sudden need to hug Zwei, neither of which were easy tasks. A certain someone, not going to say who, but their name rhymes with cake, hid behind their team's sofa after seeing that display of corgi power.

Zwei was nonchalant about the whole thing, and proudly strode and climbed back onto Ren's head.

"That... That happened," Coco finally spoke up after the shock of that little incident passed a bit.

"Is he going to be alright? I mean, should we help him?" Oscar asked, a bit concerned for Qrow's health.

"He's fine. Just give him ten to fifteen minutes and he'll back on his feet!" Yang assured Oscar. The farmhand did not want to leap into assumptions, but the impression he got from her words was that this was not the first time this had happened.

"Ummm. Let's... carry on then." Alaric slowly said as he took up his remote and pressed the play button again.

 **Deciding to help the mother out, Iroh took up a teardrop-shaped lute from musical instrument shop, a liuqin, and began to sing a song to the boy in an attempt to calm the young lad down. Walking up to the boy and his mother, and croaching down as he sang and played the instrument.**

 **"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."**

 **Iroh's song seemed to have worked, as the boy ceased his sobbing. A smile replacing the frown he had worn earlier. However, the reason for this change may not exactly have been for the reason Iroh and the audience initially believed.**

 **The song Iroh sang was a good one, but the young boy was more fascinated on the old man's beard and pulled at it with his small hands. Iroh let out a surprised groan while the boy laughed at the funny old man's reaction. He did not seem to mind though, and just smiled as he watched the mother lead her son away.**

"Seriously, no thank you?" Weiss frowned at the mother's apparent lack of gratitude. A sentiment shared by a few other audience members.

"Eh, what's more important? That you've done a good deed, or that you were thanked for it?" Alaric questioned the heiress, while also directing that question to the others present. A few did believe doing the good deed was the most important of the two. While others thought the opposite, and believed that a good deed should receive at least an inclining of gratitude.

"Well... a thank you would have been polite." Weiss replied to Alaric's question.

Turning their minds away from the question the Keeper had just posed. The audience now focused on something else, like the song Iroh had sung, and how the little boy pulled on said man's beard.

"That song he sang was nice. Though, I wish it was the reason the little boy stopped crying." Velvet piped up from her side of the audience. Causing a few chuckles to rise up from the other audience members at the memory of Iroh's reaction to his beard being pulled on.

Though, one in the audience did more than chuckle, and recalled a similar incident in the past.

"Ha ha, that reminded me of the time when you two used to playing together." Kali laughed and pointed at her husband and daughter. In response, both Blake and Ghira's faces paled a bit when Kali made mention that time. "Ghira, you had a longer beard then, and while you were playing with Blake she-"

"Uh, yes dear. I think that's enough information for everyone to hear right now." Ghira hurriedly urged his wife to not talk about that little incident, an uncharacteristically embarrassed tone in his voice. Yes, his beard had been longer than it was now. After Blake kept on pulling on it back when she was a toddler, he'd decided to shorten it, and had kept it this way ever since.

Looking to the other males in the audience who'd had to raise, or help raise, children, Ghira received understanding looks from them. Among them were Taiyang and Ozpin.

Tai had experimented with letting his facial hair grow to the point he had a full beard. He decided to go with the look he had now, because Yang and Ruby kept on pulled at his beard when they were little. Ozpin, well, he had several lifetimes of experience where he had to raise children. In some of those lives, he had a beard, and was made to go through the same struggles as Ghira and Tai.

 **A third scene change occured, this time the camera followed Iroh as he entered a courtyard where four boys were playing with a ball. It looked like they were playing football/soccer. Standing aside, Iroh watched as the boys went about their game.**

 **This was when the audience, who thought this might be a fairly normal universe, was in fact anything but.**

 **One of the boys slammed the dusty ground with his foot, and the flower shook at the impact, causing the ball to shoot up above the boy's head before coming back down** **. That was not all.** **He kicked the ball, yet did not follow after it as one would expect from a normal game of football. Instead, the boy jumped into the air and did a gesture with his arms that resembled martial arts a bit. What happened after really got the audience's eyebrows raised.**

 **As the ball travelled, a patch of earth rose up to create a path for the ball as it rolled along. Another player did a similar such gesture, and as he did, pieces of the earthen ground rose up to stop the ball from reaching his side's goal.**

Naturally, seeing the very earth rise up all of a sudden, and seemingly at the boys' command, was more than a little surprising. While a certainly surprising thing to witness, those who had kept their guard up for anything strange were less affected. After all, Alaric had said with would be a calmer viewing, but never did he say there wouldn't be anything unusual.

"Um, what?" Fox remarked after seeing the boys' manipulate the ground under their feet.

"The people of this world, not all, are capable of controlling the elements. Primarily Water, Earth, Fire and Air." Alaric explained to his guests. With a waving gesture of his hand a sphere of water that solidified into ice, a stone, a tongue of orange flame, and a ball of compressed air appeared above him. "The art is specifically referred to as 'Bending'. Ba Sing Se is the capitol of a nation of primarily Earthbenders."

"Ooh, is there such a thing as Lightning-Bending?" Nora excitedly questioned, sure of which bending art she wanted to be able to do.

"Uh, kind of no. Firebenders are the only ones capable of manipulating lightning in some capacity." The Keeper responded to Nora, making her slump her shoulders in disappointment.

"So these Benders can control elements other than those four. But only in certain conditions or after some training?" Glynda guessed, and was right.

"Guess so, but it has to be related to their own bending art." Alaric replied before going on to list a few of the special techniques. "Metalbending is an art that falls beneath Earthbending. Among Waterbenders the dark art of Bloodbending exists. Can't say too much on Airbending, though."

The audience were astounded by the potential that these bending arts possessed, but were also terrified of the dangers they posed as well. The mention of 'Bloodbending' really sent a shiver of horror up their spines.

"Is there some form of regulation to keep Bending in check?" Ironwood asked the Keeper. While not a question some would ask, it was a fair one to ask. For like Remnant and its Aura-users, with such great power came great responsibility.

"Sort of. There is of course the laws and traditions set by each nation, but there is another way. Once every generation, an individual known only as 'The Avatar', master of all four elements, is born to ensure peace between all nations and the practitioners of the four bending arts." The Keeper's voice then turned dark. "For years the world and its nations lived in peace and harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked."

This 'Avatar' sounded incredibly power to the audience members. Though, many didn't really envy their duty to protect the peace of this world.

The mention of this 'Fire Nation' was also a source of curiosity, and Ozpin decided to question Alaric.

"I'm guessing from the name that this 'Fire Nation' is made up of Firebenders. You say they attacked. Were their targets the other nations?"

"Right on the money, there. By the greed and ambition of one Fire Lord, the world was plunged into a hundred years of war. In fact, all the Air Nomads, the practitioners of Airbending, were almost completely wiped out during the Fire Nation's conquests." Alaric responded. The news that an entire people had been killed by the Fire Nation was horrifying to the audience. "The Avatar, probably the only person who could have stopped this, vanished when the world needed them most."

This information caused all kinds of emotions and thoughts to run through the minds of the audience. Among them was why had the Fire Nation performed genocide on the Air Nomads? What was the status of the Earth Kingdom and the nation(s) of Waterbenders? Probably most importantly of all, where was the Avatar?

"Let us not worry about that now. Keep watching." Alaric said to his guests and pointed at the TV screen.

 **Back on the TV screen, while what the children had done was impressed, they may not have properly calculated where the ball was going. For the defending boy's attempt to redirect their ball had sent into flying right towards where Iroh was standing. Thankfully for him, Iroh was able to duck in time to avoid the ball. However, in doing so, the ball smashed right through a paper window that had been right behind Iroh.**

 **Not a second later, a crashing sound was heard from inside the house. No doubt the ball must have broken something besides the window.**

 **"Hey!" A loud voice cried out from inside the house.**

"Uh oh. That person sounds very mad," the Salem from Remnant's past mumbled to herself. Hoping that the person who owned that house would be lenient on the boys. It was an accident after all.

"I hope nothing important was broken." Ren spoke from underneath Zwei, not at all bothered by the dog's presence on top of his head.

 **"It is usually best to admit mistakes when they occur, and seek to restore honour." Iroh advised the four boys who now hid behind him. While this was good advise, this was an occasion where an alternative solution was best.**

 **For loud stomping sounds were heard from inside the house with the now broken window. Through it, they saw a man with a large body stomped into view. He then stooped down so his large face, one that filled the entire window, could peer out at Iroh and the boys. A furious expression on his face.**

 **"When I'm through with you kids, the window won't be the only thing that's broken!" The large man behind the window threateningly yelled at the children and Iroh.**

 **"But not this time. Run!" Iroh wisely said to the children, before all five of them ran away in different directions.**

"That person is... large." Yatsuhashi commented on the size of the person whose window the boys accidentally broke. If he were to be honest, it felt weird for him to say that. The warrior of above-average height was used to being the tallest person in the room, but after seeing all these universes, he realised there were people taller than him.

It was kind of refreshing to know that others had problems with low doorframes and ceilings.

"Large is a serious understatement, young man." Maria, the shortest person in the audience, added to Yatsuhashi's words.

Trifling matters as height aside, others were more focused on Iroh and the children's flight from the _very_ large man.

"Heh. I've been there before," Sun remarked with a grin. Remembering the good number of times the monkey faunus had to run from trouble. Deserved or otherwise.

"Of course you have," Blake said with a roll of her eyes. They hadn't known each other for too long, but in the time they had, Blake felt that she knew enough to correctly guess that Sun was a person who got into a lot of trouble. The first time they had met each other at the docks being an example of that.

 **The camera followed Iroh as he hurriedly ran down the marketplace street, leaving behind a trail of kciked up dust in his wake. Iroh found an alley where he could hide and quickly ran into it. After regaining his breath for a brief moment, Iroh peeked his head around the corner to check for any signs of pursuit by the astonishingly large man. There was none, thank goodness, but that was not the end of Iroh's troubles.**

 **"You, give me all your money!" A voice called out from behind Iroh. Looking over his shoulder, Iroh and the audience saw a scraggly man brandishing a curved dagger at Iroh.**

Now, the audience were pleased that Iroh was able to get away from the astonishingly large man. Hopefully the children were able to as well. Understandably, most of the audience members were less than pleased to see someone try to rob from a delightful person as Iroh. The idea was almost inconceivable to many of them, and found the fact it was happening despicable.

"Trying to steal from an unarmed old man? Tch, shameful." Port said with a scornful shake of his head.

"Well, if you live in poverty or are an incredibly desperate individual, the morality behind mugging old people is not something you consider often." Alaric responded to Port, and the most audience's, scorn towards the mugger. "But that does not mean they cannot change. Some people just need a push in the right direction, and/or a few good words."

 **Iroh did not seem overly concerned by the appearnce of the mugger, and quickly examined them. It was when Iroh's eyes turned to the mugger's legs that Iroh and the audience became unsure of whether or not he was as much a threat as he initially appeared. The stance of the mugger's legs was awkward, making him look like he had knobbly-knees.**

 **Actually, his entire stance was awkward, and made him look like less of a threat to the audience and Iroh.**

 **"What are you doing?" Iroh calmly questioned the mugger.**

 **"I'm mugging you!" The man with the dagger answered, a bit confused as to just why the old man he had a knifepoint was so nonchalant about his present situation.**

 **"With that stance?" The old man said while gesturing to the mugger's legs.**

 **"Huh? What're you talking about?" The mugger said as he looked at his stance. Even more confused then ever. "Just give me your money, old man!"**

The whole interaction between Iroh and this mugger was actually humorous to some of the audience for some reason. It was most likely a combination of Iroh's reaction to the fact he was being mugged, and the ridiculous stance the mugger had.

Being mostly skilled and experienced fighters, many members of the audience found that stance to be artocious in their eyes. There were few other words to describe it. This led to plenty audience members coming to the conclusion that this was either the man's first mugging, the people he'd already stole from were incredibly weak, or he'd never learnt to improve himself.

Among the current audience members, Raven was probably the one who understood the importance of a threatening stance the most. She was the chieftain of a bandit tribe after all, and had forced travellers to give up their valuables just by menacingly standing at or beside the road.

Either way, it would be interesting to see how Iroh handled this.

" **With a poor stance, you are unbalanced, and you can be easily knocked over." Iroh said with a shake of his head. Suddenly, Iroh grabbed the mugger's arm with one hand and knocked him to the ground with a push of his other hand on the man's chest. As he pulled off this surprising feat, Iroh was able to disarm the mugger and took his dagger from his hand.**

The audience were taken aback by how easily suddenly Iroh knocked over the mugger. Sure the mugger wasn't doing himself any favours with that stance of his, but that wasn't all. There was a quality to him that the audience only now saw.

His display of martial arts, for that's what Iroh used to down the mugger, spoke of experience in its use. Also, as they watched Iroh push the mugger to the ground, the audience saw the old man's face take a more stoic aspect. A change that was as unexpected as the move he just pulled off.

 **The old man smiled and twirled the dagger in his hand with surprising dexterity. What was probably more surprsing, was how Iroh helped the despondent mugger back onto his feet and handed his dagger back to him.**

" **With a solid stance, you are a much more serious threat." Iroh then followed up his words with a demonstration of a proper stance to take. The mugger tried to copy him, but failed to actually get the stance right. Noticing this, Iroh walked over to him and holds his head still while he adjusted the man's stance with a light kick. "Much better! But to tell you the truth, you do not look like the criminal type.**

 **"I know. I'm... I'm just confused." The mugger admitted to Iroh with a deep sigh.**

 **The screen faded to what the audience could only assume was a short while later, and the surprises kept on coming. For now both Iroh and the mugger were sat together in the shade of the alleyway. The old man pouring some hot tea into a cup for the man who had just tried to rob him earlier.**

The sudden transition of Iroh being mugged, to knocking down the attempted mugger, and then to having tea with him was a huge surprise for the audience. Alaric pausing the TV for a moment so that they could collect their thoughts and figure out what was going on.

"This is certainly... unexpected." Ozpin commented on the whole affair, everyone else sharing his view. This was probably the first time any of them had seen someone sit down and have tea with a person who had attempted to rob him moments ago. Sure there were stories of instances like this, but never had they actually seen one. "I cannot say that it is a bad thing. Iroh may be able to reform this man."

Plenty agreed with Ozpin's last sentence, and wanted to see that actually happen.

"If he isn't 'the criminal type', why did he try to rob Iroh in the first place?" Penny questioned, confused by the mugger's decisions and words.

"Huh? Oh, well Tycho here always wanted to go to university, but when his family discovered which one it was, they disowned him and refused to pay his tuition fees." Alaric informed his guests. "Guy got himself into debt, and... well I don't think I need to tell anything else."

"That's horrible!" Velvet cried, voicing most of the audience's shock at this news. Disowning a family member because they wanted to go to their dream university was more than a little far in the audience's opinion, and were disgusted by Tycho's family. For Winter, this brought to mind how she was forced to give up her position as heiress when she joined the Altesian Military.

Honestly, this reminded her of how fortunate she was, and hoped Weiss would not be forced into a similar such position as her.

"What university was it?" Winter then asked Alaric. Wanting to know just why it was that Tycho was disowned by his family.

"Ba Sing Se's Spa University. Guy wanted to be a masseur," the Keeper immediately replied to the Specialist. Stunning them even more than they already were.

Disowned because he wanted to be a masseur? Okay, that's it. Tycho's family were officially scumbags in the eyes of the audience.

"I wonder what's the story behind Iroh." Maria muttered to herself. She could tell that there was far more to Iroh than the kind old man that he portrayed himself to be, just like how she was more than a cranky old lady. Not that she was a cranky old lady.

"I might go into detail about that somewhere down the line. Carry on watching," Alaric replied and waved their attention back to the TV screen.

 **"So you really think I could be a good masseur?" Tycho uncertainly questioned Iroh. Apparently, the two must have had quite the talk between this scene and the last one. The slight more orange colouration of the sky and lengthier shadows indicative of that jump forward in time.**

 **"Of course!" Iroh encouragingly stated to his former assailant, while pouring some more tea into Tycho's cup.**

 **"This is so great. No one has ever believed in me." The man thankfully said to Iroh, relief in his voice. He honestly sounded like a changed man already.**

 **"While it is always best to believe in oneself, a little help from others can be a great blessing." Iroh remarked to Tycho. That single sentence justifying the wise mentor/sensei vibe about him.**

"A push and/or a few good words. So this is what you meant by that." Glynda said to the Keeper after connecting Alaric's previous words and what they had just witnessed. The Keeper examining his fingers in a o' so _humble_ manner.

Meanwhile, over by Pyrrha, the champion gave Jaune a few nudges to his side after hearing Iroh's sage advice to Tycho. The advice was something that Jaune could have used back when he started Beacon, especially when Cardin was bullying him. Jaune understanding the meaning behind Pyrrha nudging his side, awkwardly smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

Others were glad that Iroh was able to change a person's life for the better. And that it was done in a largely peaceful manner was a definite positive as well. If only most other criminals in their world, and even the Multiverse, could be reformed through tea and words of kindness.

Speaking of tea, a few of the audience members who had a liking for tea were a bit curious about Iroh's brew. It honestly looked nice to them.

"I wonder what Iroh's tea tastes like." Ren was the one to voice this particular question all tea-drinkers had running through their heads. He normally drank green tea, but he wouldn't mind trying out what Iroh was serving.

"Why wonder if you can have some!" Alaric remarked upon hearing Ren's words. With a wave of his hand, the Keeper materialised a tray laden with a number of cups filled with steaming hot tea, and offered them to the audience. "Here! Cups of Iroh's finest jasmine tea!"

Those who were interested in the tea took a cup and drank of the liquid they contained. Their reactions were almost instantaneous.

"Oh my god," Ren suddenly said after only a single sip of the jasmine tea.

"I know a heaven exists, for I have just tasted it." Kali purred to herself after sipping from the cup she'd taken a couple times. Her daughter having a similar such reaction to the tea.

"It's... splendid. N-Not as good as Klein's, but it's good." Weiss hurriedly uttered that last part. Trying her damnedest to not to give in and admit that Iroh's tea was superior to her family butler's. And Klein made great tea.

In general, those audience members with a liking for tea could do nothing but admit that Iroh's tea was absolutely divine. Those who didn't, or just weren't fans of tea in the first place, took their word for it.

 **Another scene change, this time it was a sunset, and Iroh had found a quiet spot on a hill that provided a marvellous view of the sun as it began to dip towards the horizon. Aside from the grass that covered the hill, a lone tree sat atop it.**

 **Iroh took off his conical hat, lay his basket on the floor, and began the preperations for his 'special occasion'.**

 **Propping some stones against the base of the tree, Iroh opened his basket and took a few things. One of them was a sheet of paper, which the old man took a moment to look at before placing it down on the rocks with the other items. After that, he took out two incense sticks, and lit their tops with small flames from his fingers.**

"He can Firebend?" Ruby gasped upon seeing Iroh produce those flames from the tips of his fingers. The audience already knew that there was probably more to Iroh than meets the eye, but that he was a Firebender was something that they had not considered.

"Yeah. He's a master Firebender, one of the best in the world actually. In fact, he was once the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation." Alaric said, going on to drop another information bomb onto his guests' lap. Their reaction was _explosive_.

The realisation that Iroh was a firebender, and a member of the Fire Nation's royalty now made them feel very conflicted about Iroh. The Fire Nation was responsible for wiping out an entire ethnic group and plunging the world into a hundred years of war, both of which were incredibly terrible things to happen. Now here was Iroh, former Crown Prince of that same nation.

"'Former Crown Prince'?" Oscar asked, he and the others taking note of that particular piece of information.

"Yeah. Hells, he was a renowned Fire Nation General once, and was actually the first to breach one of Ba Sing Se's walls in a siege. That was until... well, you'll see in a moment." The Keeper said, choosing to withhold that information from his guests for the time being.

 **With the incense sticks lit, Iroh placed them with the other items he had taken out of the back and put at the base of the tree. The camera moved to show that Iroh had also placed three fruits and a small bag together with the piece of paper, which had a drawn depiction of a young man on it.**

 **"Happy birthday, my son." Iroh uttered to the small memorial he had created. Focusing on Iroh's face, the audience saw that the gentle and easygoing old man filled with almost youthful energy was gone, and had given way to a sorrowful man with tears streaming down his aged face. "If only I could have helped you."**

 **Alone atop the hill, the leaves of the treeing falling around him, and the sun finally reaching the far horizon. Iroh began to sing again, his voice cracking as he did. It was the same song he had sung to the young boy at the marketplace, but there was no joy it in now. Like Iroh, the song was now full of saddness and regret.**

 **"Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home."**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

"That-That took an unexpectedly sad twist." Salem said as she daubed her eyes with a tissue.

The sadness that Iroh felt and expressed through his song really affected the audience members, particularly those who were related to each other. Winter and Weiss reached over and held each other's hand for comfort. Blake, Kali and Ghira hugged each other tightly, same went for Ruby, Yang and Tai. Raven was also affected by that final scene, but chose to stay where she sat whilst avoiding the other's gaze.

Even Zwei let out a mournful whine after watching Iroh's grief for his son. Hearing this, Ren picked the corgi off his head, and let him join in on his and Nora's tight hug.

Alaric had hit them right in the feels with this viewing.

"I-I'm not crying. Someone's just cutting onions," Neptune tried to deny that he was crying. Despite his words, Neptune's eyes were watery, and looked like he was on the verge of tears. Yeah, he wasn't fooling anyone.

"So... he lost his son? Was it during a battle or something?" Fox asked the Keeper, wanting to understand what had happened to Iroh and his son.

"Hm? Oh yes. It was during the Fire Nation's siege of Ba Sing Se." Alaric responded to Fox's question. "It changed him for the better, and in the years after, he realised the wrongness of the Fire Nation's war. Yet, the loss of his son was something he never got over."

Learning this really pulled on the audience's heartstrings. All of a sudden, a certain someone became conscious again.

"Ugh. W-What happened?" Qrow groaned as he came back around. Startling the audience for they'd almost forgotten that he had been unconscious throughout almost the entire viewing. Seeing the current state of his fellow audience members, Qrow was confused and asked some more questions. "What's up with all of you? Someone been cutting onions?"

"Sit back Qrow. We'll, uh, fill you in." Tai said to Qrow as his daughters latched off of him and onto their uncle. The red-caped Huntsman was concerned by his nieces' behaviour, and silently complied with hi brother-in-law's words.

As some of the audience members began to inform Qrow on what he had missed, Alaric took out his remote and set about preparing the next viewing.

* * *

 **Right then, another chapter done.**

 **I'll admit, when I rewatched the scene where Iroh sings at the hill, I felt like crying. It's been years since I last watched or listened to that scene, and its still a tear-jerker.**

 **For the next chapter, I _might_ make it RWBY Chibi for the sake of a more lighthearted viewing. Goodness knows the audience, and I guess you readers, need a chapter where there are _NOT_ people dying.**

 **Oh, and like with chapters, you can request for people that may join the audience. Just like the chapters, however, there is no guarantee that that I will add them. Please remember that.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	39. RWBY Chibi Part 2

**Author's Note:**

 **Right everyone, here's Chapter 39 of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'. And a few weeks ago this fanfiction reached 900 favourites. That, and I've been doing this whole fanfiction writing thing for a year now, so hurray I guess.**

 **My apologies for how long it took me to finish this chapter. My excuses for its lateness are; personal life issues, general procrastination, rewriting an entire chapter for my Demi-Human fanfic, and, finally, I got repetitive strain injury of my dominant hand's wrist while working on an art project. It was painful, very painful to be honest, but I'm better now.**

 **For those interested, I have begun work on a For Honor chapter where the audience react to the various heroes that have been released. It will, however, not be completed any time soon because of the fact the next Wu Lin hero will not be revealed for quite a while. The scenes will have elements from the trailers, mainly the dialogue, but I will make my own twist to the actual scenes themselves. To make them appear more badass and all that.**

 **Those who want an update on my Warhammer 40K/RWBY crossover fanfic understand I _am_ working on it. The progress is slow because of my two other fanfics, my uncertainty and disatisfaction with some of the characters, and lack of an idea where to go with its plot.**

 **Anyways, enjoy.**

* * *

 **RWBY Chibi Part 2**

"Alright everyone. I've readied the next viewing, put aside your tissues, Scrolls, or whatever the heck you're using, and be seated." Keeper Alaric announced to his guests, who quickly began to settle back onto their seats. "I promise this one will not have people dying or cause any emotional distress whatsoever. Hopefully."

"You better," Qrow grunted at the black robed man. He hadn't been conscious for a good majority of the last viewing, but from what he had been told, it had been a tear jerker at the end. And the whole no one dying sounded like a good thing.

"Are you threatening me, master Jed- *ahem* Huntsman?" Alaric questioned Qrow, his tone both threatening and daring. What he was originally going to say, the audience were not sure, and quickly moved on.

They had another universe to watch.

"Before I go ahead and show you what I got next. There are a few things I need to do first." Alaric said as he snapped his fingers. The door to the waiting room bursting open, and a sudden wind sucked Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Roman, and Neo back into the viewing room. All five of them landing in a tangled heap on the floor. "Hah! Much better."

The small band of antagonists groaned and complained as they did their best to get off the floor, and each other.

Mercury complaining about how Emerald was on top of him. Emerald complained about how Mercury was under her. Roman grumbled to himself as he dusted himself, and took his hat off of Neo's head. Said short, but deadly, henchwoman/girl had landed pretty hard on her bum, and was rubbing it in pain. Cinder, meanwhile, glared daggers (or glass arrows considering this is Cinder) at the Keeper for the suddenness of being sent into and out of the waiting room.

Alaric ignored the five, mainly Cinder's death stare, and waited for them to sit down on their vacant seats. The audience members who were already present greeted Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury either indifferently or fairly positively. Roman and Neo received a less than welcome reception from the audience members, but the two did not care or mind.

"Ugh. Couldn't have given us a warning or two, could ya?" Roman grumbled as he got onto his seat.

"Could've, but I didn't care to." Alaric waved the criminal off as he moved onto the other matter he intended to take care of. "Now, Jeanne, I'm afraid your time with us is over. I'll be sending you back to your own universe now."

"Oh. Very well then," the Maid of Orleans said with an affirmative nod in response to his words. As this would be the last time they would see each other, as far as they were aware, plenty of the audience bid Jeanne a heartfelt farewell. Particularly Jaune, since the young woman in full plate mail was an alternate version of himself. The two even embraced each other in a short hug.

Farewells said and done, Jeanne and Alaric stepped to the side and went about sending the girl home. As he had with San and Chibi Ruby, as well as Port and Oobleck before they were brought back, Alaric sprinkled grains of white sand on top of Jeanne's head and she began to steadily disappear. Before she did, however, Alaric leaned over and whispered a few words to the young woman.

"Be brave, and hold your head high when confronted by whatever fate awaits you."

Before she could ask for an explanation from the Keeper, Jeanne completely disappeared. With her gone, Alaric walked back to his seat, waving a hand to change it in an instant. This time, the Keeper's seat was a chair carved out of a single, solid block of blue ice.

"His butt's gonna be cold." Port murmured to Oobleck, who quickly nodded in response.

"I'm gonna miss her. She was nice," Penny stated, receiving a few words of agreement from those who had also liked Jeanne. It was still odd that the young woman was a female version of Jaune, but she had proven amicable to most of the audience. Trying her best to treat them all kindly, even going ahead to overlook Penny's 'quirky' behaviour.

The one most affected by Jeanne's absence was, of course, Jaune. Her presence was oddly reassuring to Jaune, inspiring even, and he wondered if he'd ever meet someone who had a similar such effect on him as Jeanne. When Jaune thought about it, there was someone he knew whose presence did reassure and inspire him in a special way. Just who was it?

"Anyway, uh, what did we miss?" Mercury questioned the other audience members as he, Emerald, and Cinder settled back onto the couch they's occupied earlier. Not really wanting his guests to waste time with an explanation, Alaric relayed the events the others had watched into the minds of the returned audience members.

The events of the last two universes really stunned the five, the one with Bahamut most certainly. But the author saw little need to elaborate on their thoughts, and Alaric went on to press the play button of his remote.

 ** _~ Late for Class ~_**

 **The screen faded to a classroom, more specifically, a Beacon classroom. It was smaller when compared to the classrooms of the audience's, and they immediately saw why, for sat in the classroom were Chibi versions of Blake, Weiss, and Yang.**

Seeing that they were going to watch the universe filled with the chibi versions of themselves, most of the audience reacted positively to the sight of it. The party-poopers among rolled their eyes and crossed their arms in disappointment of Alaric's selection.

"Back to the Chibi-verse? Alright then," Ozpin uttered upon realising what universe they were now watching.

"It isn't bad, but there must be better things to watch out there." Qrow grunted before taking a drink from his glass of alcohol. His scythe-wielding niece, however, did not share the grizzled Huntsman's opinion on the Chibi-verse.

"Shut up! We'll get to see Chibi Ruby again!" Ruby cried out to those talking in an attempt to make them quiet. She really was excited to see her chibi self once again, but was more excited by the possibility of seeing the Crescent Rose of this universe. It had been too long since she last saw her darling, and Ruby was unsure how much longer she could last without Crescent Rose.

 **Rising from the bottom of the screen, a Chibi version of Oobleck suddenly appeared, scribbling a piece of chalk on a chalkboard that the camera appeared to be behind.**

" **So in conclusion, history is good, ignorance is bad! Therefore, read a book!" Chibi Oobleck stated to his students in his characteristically quick and hard to keep up manner.**

"Hm. Not at all a thing that is out of place for you to say, old friend." Port said to his colleague with a nudge of his elbow to said green-haired professor's side.

"Why not? Books are blah, blah, blah... blah, blah, blah... blah, blah, blah..." Oobleck replied, starting to ramble on the importance of both books and knowledge. Many others in the audience could agree that books and knowledge were important, particularly knowledge, but it was Oobleck that was talking. When it came to certain subjects, he could be worse than Port.

 **As the professor zipped over to another side of the chalkboard, Chibi Ruby suddenly appeared in the background out of nowhere, and tried to slowly and stealthily tiptoe her way to her seat. However, in a rather cliché manner, the floor beneath Chibi Ruby's foot creaked, alerting Oobleck of her presence in the classroom.**

 **Upon hearing her, Chibi Oobleck's head did a full 180 and whirled around to looked at his student, followed a moment later by the rest of his body.**

"Okay, that was a bit freaky what he just did there." Coco remarked on how Chibi Oobleck turned his head in the way he had. It was rather disconcerning to her and the other audience members to be honest.

 **"Miss Ruby Rose! So glad you could join us! Unfortunately class is nearly over." Chibi Oobleck said to the Ruby onscreen, informing her of her lateness to the class. Something that Chibi Ruby was no doubt aware of.**

"Uh oh! Someone got busted!" Sun laughed, glad that he wasn't the only team leader that turned up late to class on occasion. Now _he_ could be the one that pointed at the latecomer. Though, when he thought about it, doing so was a bit of an uncool and douchey thing to do.

"Despite having a speed Semblance, you are the tardy one? Who could have guessed?" Weiss said, recalling how Ruby would sometimes turn up late to class. Especially when the school year had started.

"Hey! Ummm... Chibi Ruby is... uh... early in another timezone!" Ruby finally cried out in defence of her alternate self's lateness to class. A very, very weak attempt at defence if the others had to be honest.

"But she's late in that one," Emerald countered the red-hooded girl's weak excuse.

Ruby gave up trying to defend her alternate self and fell back onto her team's couch. Her arms crossed and a pouting expression fixed onto her face. Yang laughed at Ruby's attempt to look angry and ruffled the top of her hair, annoying Ruby to no end.

 **"Oh, well, you see, a-a crazy thing happened before..." Chibi Ruby tried to explain herself to Chibi Professor Oobleck, but was impeded from finishing by the professor. Who zoomed right up into Chibi Ruby's face and cut her off.**

 **"Detention! One day." Chibi Oobleck loudly announced to her, raising an index finger to emphasis his point.**

"Well, that should teach her to not be late to class." Blake commented on Chibi Ruby receiving detention with Oobleck. Of all the professors to have detention with, Oobleck was not the worst.

She could have been stuck with Professor Goodwitch, who would have worked the students in detention to death. And despite what some students claimed, Goodwitch did not use that crop of hers for any... explicit purposes during her detention sessions. Whoever must have first started such rumours was either someone who didn't like Glynda, or someone who thought of such punishment as a good time.

Professor Port would just talk the students in detention to sleep. Nothing new there.

In the rare occasions that Ozpin would oversee detention, he would either have them write something a hundred times over or lecture them to be better. He also sent each recipient of detention on runs to get him more coffee if he ran out.

"Traitor! I will have revenge for this insult!" Ruby cried out at Blake for her remark on her alternate self's lateness. "A-And Chibi Ruby will arrive early for the next class! You'll see!"

"Sometimes I wonder if Huntsmen and Huntresses are a bit crazy. Seeing you guys... makes me sure of it." Oscar voiced his thoughts after seeing Ruby's outburst. That, and all the stuff he had seen the others in the audience do, reinforced the young farmhand's thoughts on the Huntsmen and Huntsmen-in-Training he sat with.

 **The screen cut to all black while large white text appeared in the centre. Unexpectedly, Alaric's voice came through the speakers, reciting the text in a slightly odd manner (imagine the SpongeBob time-skip transitions).**

 ** _"The Next Day..."_**

"Uh, was that you?" Velvet asked Alaric. The young rabbit faunus, as well as the rest of the audience, recognising the voice to be his despite the odd way he had spoken.

"Oh yeah. I added that little thing out of a whim, don't worry." The Keeper quickly replied. It was an odd addition to the viewing, but the audience shrugged it off and carried on watching the events onscreen. It was... kind of funny to some of the younger audience members.

 **Another cut to a new scene occured, but in the same classroom as before. This time, the Chibi versions of Team JNPR who were also occupying the classroom alongside Team RWBY. Well everyone in RWBY apart from Ruby.**

 **Just like before, Chibi Oobleck was at the front of the class, having apparently finished whatever hard to follow lecture he had been telling his students.**

" **So in conclusion-" Chibi Oobleck started to say as he was about to finish up his lecture on history, books, and more history. He did not get a chance to finish when the classroom doors were thrown wide open with a loud bang, Chibi Ruby standing at the doorway while wearing a fake moustache, glasses and hat that said security.**

" **Hello. I am being exchange student. Also now I am not being late, this is when we get to class in my country." Chibi Ruby loudly proclaimed to the class in a fake accent.**

Chibi Ruby's arrival to the classroom prompted a fair number of reactions from the audience. A few audience members snorted in amusement at Chibi Ruby's attempt to get away with being late for class, again. Others were disappointed with Chibi Ruby and her ability to be late to the same class for the second consecutive day.

Roman, the number one criminal of Vale, and Neo, a master of disguise, shook their heads at Chibi Ruby. The two had dressed up as a great many things to further a plan or get away from authorities, some could only be described as genius in their oh so humble opinions. But Ruby's disguise was absolutely sloppy.

"Gosh dang it!" Ruby groaned, embarrassed by Chibi Ruby's _very_ poor attempt at a disguise and the excuse that she was using to avoiding getting detention. Hopefully this would not get any worse.

 **Zooming right next to Chibi Ruby, Oobleck pretended to go along with Ruby's facade.**

 **"Ah! Welcome to Beacon! Hold on, you have a little something on your lip." Chibi Oobleck said before proceeding to raise a hand towards the face moustache that Chibi Ruby was wearing.**

 **"No! Wait!" Ruby tried to stop the professor from going ahead with what he was planning to do, but faster than the eye could track, Chibi** **Oobleck ripped both the hat and fake moustache and glasses off of Ruby in an instant. Chibi Ruby leapt up in alarm and cried aloud. "** **Holy cats, my face!"**

 **"Detention! Two days." Oobleck now declared, raising two fingers this time.**

"Man, she's just digging herself a bigger hole." Neptune remarked to himself, though the audience members who could hear him agreed with the blue-haired young man.

 **The screen turned dark, and again showed the words 'The Next Day...' at the centre of the screen, followed shortly after by Alaric's voice repeating said words.**

"Y'know, these kind of reminds me of a cartoon that me and Rubes used to watch when we were kids. Gosh, I forgot what it's name was," Yang said as she tried to recall the name of the TV show these transitions reminded her of. It was a pretty decent kids show, and had spawned more than a few memes over the course of its airtime.

"I know what you mean. It had to do with something under the sea, I think." Jaune added, having also watched the same TV show when he was a kid.

 **Again, the audience were shown Oobleck's classroom, where Oobleck was, again, finishing up his class. As he was trying to finish, Ruby could be seen scaling the wall of the building they were in through one of the classroom's windows.**

"How is it that this version of you can be late to class so often, and in three consecutive days as well?" Winter questioned her younger sister's team leader. Weiss had written quite a lot about Ruby Rose, and first meeting her was rather... underwhelming. Seeing Chibi Ruby, while an alternate of their universe's, did nothing to improve her opinion of her.

"There ain't anything wrong with that to me," Qrow uttered from his side of the audience.

"Reminds me of Summer," Taiyang added. Fondly recalling how his team leader and second wife would sometimes try to get away with being late class. She made wild excuses such as; bagpipe practise, oversleeping due to eating too much cheese, and fighting off a King Taijitu that _somehow_ got into Beacon without anyone noticing.

As much as it hurt to remember Ruby's deceased mother, it still warmed Taiyang's heart to think of how similar his youngest daughter was to her. Honestly, he sometimes had to stop himself from calling her 'Summer'.

 **His professor-senses going off, Oobleck ceased what he was saying and doing, and addressed the members of his class who were in the class and had arrived on time.**

" **I'll be right back, there's something that requires my attention immediately outside." Chibi Oobleck then zipped to the side, disappearing offscreen to wherever and do whatever he was planning to do. No sooner had Oobleck vanished from the TV screen, Chibi Ruby appeared from the ceiling, descending into the classroom with a rope tied round her waist.**

" **Yes! I made it! Oobleck is no match for my cunning and stealth!" Chibi Ruby cheered, relishing in her show 'triumph' over the history professor of Beacon. Absolutely certain that she had gotten away with being late to class this time around.**

 **That was, however, not the case.**

 **The camera panned to the side, showing Chibi Oobleck suspended in the air by a rope tied around his waist just like how Chibi Ruby was. Unlike her, he was upright and had a mug of coffee in his hand, and definitely knew that she was late to his class.**

 **"Detention! One, two, three days!" Oobleck cried, spinning Ruby in a circle as he counted each day that Chibi Ruby was due for detention. With each spin, the speed in which the red-hooded chibi girl spun increased, to the point that she started to become a blur of motion. Red petals had even begun to fly from her.**

 **"I'm gonna be sick!" Chibi Ruby declared, covering her mouth as she continued to spin. Thankfully, before they could see Chibi Ruby possibly paint the classroom with her vomit, the rose petals covered the screen before transitioning for a final time for this segment to a dark screen.**

"Haha, good show!" Professor Port said, complimenting how Chibi Oobleck's outwitted and out stealthed Chibi Ruby.

"Interrsting how the other version of me was able to sense Chibi Ruby's ascent up the wall outside, _and_ find the time to suspend himself in the same way she did." Oobleck wondered aloud, his minding racing as quickly as his counterpart in this universe moved.

"Best not think too hard on it," Alaric spoke up as he ate some chicken ramen through his mask. Again, just how he was doing this was unknown to the audience. But he would just brush off any questions they had, so, they carried on watching.

 **After transitioning to a new scene, the TV screen showed the classroom again. The audience waited for what plan Ruby had to get into class, a plan they had no doubts would fail. It took a moment, but the audience soon heard what sounded like a drill breaking through stone or concrete, followed by splintering wood, coming from the rows of seats around the class.**

 **The drilling stopped, and Chibi Ruby popped up like a weasel at one of the seats. Almost immediately, the audience realised that Chibi Ruby must have tunneled her way underground, broken through the building's foundations, just to get to Oobleck's class.**

" **Aha, I did it! Ha! Nobody can remove me from this state! Nobody!" Chibi Ruby triumphantly, and somewhat manically, yelled at the top of her lungs with a wide grin on her face.**

"If only students went to such lengths to get their classwork done." Ozpin chuckled to himself, the other professors agreeing with the Beacon Headmaster. When given the right motivation, everyone could finish their schoolwork, but plenty of times they put a lot more energy into making up excuses as to why it was not done.

 **However, that was when she noticed that there was something quite wrong.**

 **"Wait, where is everyone?"**

 **Zooming out to show a full view of the classroom, revealing that it was devoid of people apart from Ruby and one other person who was sat next to where she had broken through the floor. A pink mug and what appeared to be a comic book on the table before him, was none other than Chibi Oobleck. It appeared that he was expectong her.**

 **"** **Ah, Ruby. Just in time for Saturday detention.** **" Chibi Oobleck greeted Ruby without taking an eye of his comicbook, casually flipping to the next page as he spoke.**

 **Chibi** **Ruby tensed and looked around in disbelief as she realised that the class was indeed quite empty, and soon after, remembered what day it was. It was the start of the weekend, when there was supposed to be no classes** **, and when the first of her three days of detention was to occur. Seeing her mistake, Chibi Ruby reacted how anyone else would.**

 **"** **Son of a** **-" Before Ruby could finish, the screen cut to black.**

Plenty of the audience laughed at Chibi Ruby's expense, and through her, Ruby. Right now, the red-hooded girl was slumped in her seat, arms crossed, and face set in a pouty expression.

"That ain't all, I have got a few other things to show you before we're done with this viewing." Alaric informed his guests, a devilish smile was no doubt behind that mask of his.

"I better not be in one of these," Raven said to Alaric. A threatening undertone to her words, while a frown was fixed on her face as she looked at the Keeper, not wishing to be a part of the goofiness they had witnessed. Said Keeper was not at all intimidated by Raven, and just waved her words off, though he did respond to her.

"Don't worry, I have not prepared a scene with you in it whatsoever. Not that you could do anything about it if I did," Alaric responded to Raven's half-threat with a small taunt at the end. "Now stop frowning. It'll ruin that beautiful face of yours."

That last remark most certainly did not stop Raven from frowning,making her frown at him even more than before. Ignoring Raven's frowny face, as well as the questioning looks from people such as Yang and Tai, Alaric pressed the play button of his remote. With that, the screen brightened up to show the next segment of this viewing.

 ** _~ RWBY Dreams ~_**

 **The TV screen faded into Team RWBY's dorm at the dead of night. Each member of RWBY were fast asleep, and the only creature that was stirring was this universe's Zwei, who was trying to get to Ruby' bed.**

 **The camera focused on Blake, and after a moment, the scene changed to an... unusual one. Blake was peacefully enjoying a book, one that was definitely not filth** **, when all of a sudden, Sun, Neptune, Velvet, and a certain shopkeeper entered the scene. Much to Chibi Blake and the audience's confusion, all four were floating through the air, passing by her as if they were swimming through water.**

The audience were intrigued by this one, for it would give them a clear view of the all too fleeting dreams that their minds would sometimes drift into. It felt a tad bit wrong, for a person's dreams were _their_ dreams, and was like looking through their browsing history without their permission. Also, what if they were having a dream not meant people to know of? A dream that was NSFW in nature?

Well, if something like that did happen, Yang was ready to cover Ruby's virgin eyes. Same went for younger Salem and Oscar, the former having grown attached to the latter somehow, and also sought to protect the farmboy's from anything. There were a couple others who thought the same towards different people, but you get the idea.

"Huh. Should've guessed your dreams would be fish-related." Yang snickered, giving Blake a slight nudge to her arm with her elbow.

"Eh, kitty-cat's a faunus. What did you expect?" Roman remarked, earning a good few glares from the audience for the derogatory tone of his voice. He was not the kindest person towards the faunus, and talking about their friend/daughter/girlfriend(?) pissed off a fair few members of the audience.

"Screw off Torchwick!" Sun spoke up against said criminal.

"We expected you to keep you mouth shut for as long as possible." Ghira growled at Roman, though the criminal remained rather nonchalant in the face of the others' anger.

" _Sorry_ that I didn't live up to your expectations." Roman sarcastically brushed off Ghira's words, annoying the other audience members even more than they already were.

Meanwhile, Blake, who had ignored Torchwick's comment, was not at all amused by what she was seeing. Not one bit. Sure, she _had_ the occasional dream of fish, it was something common among many faunus with cat-like traits. But, the fact that a 'fish-dream' of her alternate self was being shown here really got under her skin. The best she could hope for was that this would not be _too_ embarrassing.

"Dreams..." Penny muttered to herself. The robot girl was intrigued by them, for she was not certain if she herself was capable of them. Whenever Penny 'went to sleep', all of her functions went on stand by. There were times when Penny thought she had dreamt of something while she 'slept', however, being what she was, Penny was skeptical of whether or not she had indeed dreamt of anything.

 **"** **Shouldn't you be doing that in the pool?** **" Chibi Blake questioned all four of them as they passed her by.**

 **"** **In the water? No** **way?" Neptune responded as he floated offscreen, content in how he was 'swimming' through air instead of the dread liquid that was water. Also of note, he was wearing his Junior Detective moustache.**

 **"** **Ugh! People make terrible fish!** **" Blake complained as she watched the four go offscreen.**

 **As if hearing her complaint, a fish then appeared onscreen and floated towards Blake's lap.** **Noticing her favourite delicacy approaching her, Chibi Blake's face lit up with delight and quickly grabbed hold of the fish the moment it came within reach of her arms.**

 **"** **See this? Now this is a good fish!** **" Blake said to no one in particular before taking the questionable decision of taking a large bite out of the floating dream fish. Eating dream food could go many ways. It could be like normal food and taste great, taste like cheese despite not being cheese, taste rancid and make you throw up in your dream, or suddenly turn out to be a creepy-ass clown who then murders you for biting on his funny bone.**

 **For Chibi Blake, she quickly discovered what kind of dream food she had just eaten. Much to her misfortune as it would turn out.**

 **"** **Sorry, kitty. I'm actually a very bad fish.** **" The fish unexpectantly spoke to the cat faunus before breaking free from her grip and swimming off. Chibi Blake's stomach began to rumble in a bad way, and she started to feel incredibly wheezy, to the point that she started to turn green and felt that she was going to vomit her stomach's contents out. Yup, she had eaten rancid dream food.**

 **Back to reality, Chibi Blake had taken a curled up position on her bed and had an uncomfortable expression on her sleeping face.**

 **"** **Ugh, bad fish...** **" The chibi faunus groaned.**

Many in the audience started to chuckle or look on in amusement at how Chibi Blake was squirming in her bed. Of course, they were amused by Chibi Blake's reaction to her own dream because it was funny to watch the usually reserved Blake act this way. Only a couple or so found the display amusing because they wanted to the cat faunus suffer in some way.

 _"Yeah. Never trust dream food, Blakey."_ Neo 'said' to the cat faunus through the sign she had gotten hold of. She had a good few similar experiences to what Chibi Blake was going through, having eaten bad ice cream in her dreams.

" _*Sigh*_ Why? Just why?" Blake muttered to herself, a hand covering her face in response to the ridiculousness of it all.

"At least it was not _too_ embarassing for you, dear." Kali said in an attempt to comfort her embarrassed daughter. Ghira doing the same by placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Indeed. I could've shown the dream where you-" Alaric stopped mid-sentence when he saw the threatening looks he received from the Belladonna's. He was nonplussed by it, but the Keeper decided that going into detail about it was not worth. Someone else was going to take the faunus' ire for him.

Right on queue, Sun had to open his mouth. His mouth speaking before his brain could register the possible ramifications of his words.

"Was it smut? Was I in it?" Almost instantly, Blake painfully yanked on the monkey faunus's tail, while her father looked about ready to pummel the team leader of SSSN until he was a fine red paste. To emphasise that last part, Alaric made Ghira's eyes glow with a red light, with a dark and menacing aura surrounding him. Kali took it better, and advised her husband and daughter to show restraint, while asking Sun to think before speaking next time.

 **Moving on, the camera now focused on Yang's sleeping form, before transitioning onto the dream that the blonde-haired young woman was currently experiencing.**

 **The dreamed showed Yang idly walking down the main path of Beacon's courtyard, before a familiar voice suddenly called out to her from behind.**

 **"** **Halt! Just where do you think you're going, rebellious teenager?** **" The camera panned over to show that it had been a chibi version of Taiyang who had spoken, and with him were also chibi versions of Winter, Klein, Ozpin, and Port. All of them looking disapprovingly at the 'rebellious teenager' that was Yang.**

"Hah! Even as a chibi, I look great." The Taiyang in the audience grinned at his chibi self.

"Klein? What is he doing in Chibi Yang's dreams?" Weiss questioned upon seeing her family butler, who looked absolutely darling as a chibi. Again, the Schnee heiress really wanted to see her beloved butler in person sometime soon, maybe Alaric might bring him into the audience.

"They've met. You hosted a... delightful little tea party where Klein showed off his butler skills and quirky personality." Alaric responded to Weiss's question, making air quotes gestures when he said 'quirky'.

Weiss and Winter, knowing just what Alaric was talking about, could only imagine what had happened at that tea party. Considering the goofiness that seemed to be prevalent in this universe, the two Schnee sisters imagined it to have been a colourful affair. Heavens, who else apart from Yang and Weiss were at the tea party, and how did they interact with Klein.

"So, uh, what is going to happen here?" Yatsuhashi questioned, well aware of Yang's reputation as a kind of troublemaker, and from what he was seeing, that was going to bleed into this dream of Chibi Yang's.

"I don't know, but I bet its gonna be awesome! Just like me!" The Yang in the audience spoke up, certain in the idea that her dream would be a blast to see. Hopefully.

 **"** **I'll tell you where I'm going..." Yang turned round, snapping her fingers and making finger-gun gestures with her hands. "...anywhere I want!** **"**

 **After making that _incredibly_ rebellious remark, Yang's aviator sunglasses floated down from offscreen and slid down over her eyes. As music (pop, electric, rock, or whichever genre it is) began to blast from thd speakers, Yang ran forward and leapt over the pack of adults, strumming a guitar while in mid-air, before landing on Bumblebee.**

 **"** **Suck rainbow, authority figures!** **" Yang yelled at the adults behind her. She revved Bumblebee's engine and allowed the motorcycle's back-wheel to spin in place for a couple seconds, actually shooting up rainbow coloured dust at them, before driving off. Left in a cloud of multi-coloured dust, the adults were left could do nothing but shake their fists and curse Yang's rebelliousness.**

 **"** **Curse your free-wheeling ways!** **" Chibi Winter cried out at Yang, doing the above mentioned cursing and fist-shaking.**

Yang was awkwardly, and weakly, laughing to herself. The blonde 'pun-master' of Team RWBY trying to laugh off the rather uncomfortable feeling watching Chibi Yang's dream had caused her, for she once had a dream that was near identical to this one. Sure she saw a few things she liked, like how her sunglasses came out of nowhere and that battleaxe guitar, but overall it caused her to cringe a bit.

"That couldn't get any weirder," Raven murmured to herself. Disappointed with what she saw.

 _Wait for it..._ Alaric mentally said to the bandit chieftain.

 **The camera panned upwards in to time to show Yang riding Bumblebee through the air above the adults. A rainbow trail following after her and the... fish from Blake's dream? Accompanying this strange spectacle, air horns blared through the speakers.**

"I stand corrected," Raven whispered while letting out a quiet sigh. Funnily enough, she was finding herself regretting leaving Yang a lot more after seeing that.

"Here I was thinking you kids today can't get any weirder." Maria commented after seeing Yang's rather absurd dream. The old Grimm Reaper was proud of the skill and dedication she had seen in the latest generation of future Huntsmen and Huntresses. In spite of that, not even she could deny that they were a strange bunch. Especially those memes this new generation seemed so fond/obssessed with.

 **Back in the reality, Yang was still asleep and had put on her sunglasses somehow. From the position that she was in, she pretending to ride her motorcycle in her sleep.**

 **"O** **ut with a Yang, hehe...** **" Yang chuckled to herself.**

"Well... that was interesting to watch," Salem uttered. She had heard of people in her world who claimed to be able to see and read people's dreams. If they were speaking the truth, which she doubted, Salem pitied them if seeing people's dreams meant witnessing this kind of stuff.

"It was nothing compared to my dreams!" Nora stated with a snort.

"We know," Ren remarked. He and the others in JNPR and RWBY recalling Nora's wild tales about her dreams. Such dreams included the one where he and Nora sold Beowolf skins. A dream of Nora being an actually queen. And another where Nora swam across an inland sea whose waters were instead, wait for it... pancakes.

As Ren was starting to contemplate whether hanging around rather odd friends meant he himself was odd, there were others who were musing about something they had noticed in the Yang's dream. More specifically, they had noticed the absence of someone.

"You know, I was expecting Goodwitch to be in that group. She is a... authoritative figure." Ironwood remarked about the small group of adults in Yang's dream, the people who knew Professor Goodwitch agreeing with the general.

Ozpin, while a pretty chill guy most of the time, was the Headmaster of Beacon, so his presence was understandable. Same went for Taiyang, as he was Yang's father. Port was a professor, and had dished out detention to Yang a few times before, so the audience could recognise why he was there. Winter was related to Weiss, as such those close to Yang could grasp the reasoning for being in Yang's dream. Klein was an odd one, regardless of the fact that he appeared to be in his angry personality.

Yes, it was indeed strange that Beacon's strictest professor was not among the 'authority figures' in Yang's dream. Having come to that conclusion, a couple audience members decided to express such thoughts.

"Jimmy's got a good point. Why wasn't Glyn there?" Qrow added, earning quick glares from both Ironwood and Goodwitch for those nicknames he'd given them.

"Qrow is right," Ozpin added to Qrow's comments. "I do recall Professor Goodwitch giving Miss Xiao Long detention more than once. Heh, and you can certainly be strict with the students. It is quite strange that you are not there, Glynda."

"Sir," Glynda growled at the Headmaster of Beacon.

"Heh, yeah. That's because you don't exist in this universe, don't worry." Alaric chuckled, while pointing a finger towards the TV screen.

A Beacon without Goodwitch? Plenty of those from the Academy wondered if the place could function without her. That, and they wondered if the place would be an even worse mess without the professor who could fix almost every bit of structural damage done to the campus. Telekinesis, Glynda had one hell of a Semblance.

 **The camera focused on Chibi Weiss this time. Clearly it was now time for her dreams to be revealed to the audience.**

 **Transitioning to her dream, the young Schnee Heiress was sat in Oobleck classroom alongside the rest of her team, Chibi Ruby actually turning up to class in time, with others such as Velvet, and even Cardin in the dream as well. They were all doing their own thing; Ruby was sleeping, Yang was doodling, Blake was reading, Velvet was nervous about something or another, while Cardin was gritting his teeth and punching the table. The only person who seemed interested in Oobleck's lesson being Chibi Weiss.**

 **As Chibi Oobleck walked up to Weiss, she rose her hand to answer a question that the professor must have asked.**

 **"Oh, oh, I know! The answer is forty-two." Chibi Weiss eagerly and proudly said, confident in her answer.**

 **"Correct! Congratulations, you have now officially learned everything there is to learn, Miss Schnee."**

"Huh. Does she know the answer to why we're here?" Alaric said to himself while letting out a short laugh. Everyone else were puzzled by why the Keeper found it funny for some reason, and why that phrase was accompanied by a kind of deja vu. Seeing their reactions, the Keeper waved them off. "Forget about it."

 **"What?! But I love learning!" Chibi Weiss cried out in alarm as the camera started to slowly zoom in on her. From her tone and the way she was behaving, the idea of not having anything else to learn was absolutely distressing to her.**

 **"Sadly, your brain is full, stuffed to capacity, you literally know it all." Chibi Oobleck continued. This incited quite the reaction from everyone else in the classroom.**

 **Everyone in the classroom, apart from Oobleck and Velvet who was using her hand to barely hide her laughter, pointed at Weiss and chant something awful at the Schnee. Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Sun joining in from offscreen, pointing their fingers at Chibi Weiss and chanting the same dreadful phrase. Well, Sun was pointing the end of his monkey tail at her, but you get the point.**

 **"Know-it-all! Know-it-all! Know-it-all! Know-it-all!"**

 **"Please! There has to be more I can learn! Like... extra credit!" Chibi Weiss desperately cried as the horrid words of 'Know-it-all' filled her ears to the point she could barely hear herself think. Looking around, she saw that even her beloved textbooks had joined in the chorus of voices, and started calling her a 'Know-it-all'.**

 **The screen faded out of Chibi Weiss' dream and returned to reality. In the real world, Weiss was tossing and turning on her bed, mumbling to herself as she did.**

 **"No... not at all... not at all a know-it-all..."**

"Know-it-all! Know-it-all! Know-it-all!" Several others in the audience, mainly students, chanted whilst pointing a finger at Weiss. Imitating what had happened in Chibi Weiss's dream.

"Stop calling me that!" Weiss yelled at all those calling her a 'Know-it-all'. Her face flushed red with embarrassment at how Chibi Weiss was portrayed in this veiwing, and the amusement the others found at her expense. If she had access to Myrtenaster and her Glyph semblance, the heiress would have encased them all in ice right now.

"Ruff! Ruff!" Zwei joined in and repeatedly barked at Weiss. Was the corgi imitating the others or the chibis onscreen?

We'll probably never know.

Winter shook her head lightly, while letting the edges of her lips rise up a little. It was... humorous to see her dear little sister be involved in such antics like the one they had watched. The specialist decided to keep those thoughts, who knows how Weiss would react.

"That dream, or nightmare, was kinda lame actually." Mercury shrugged after watching Weiss's dream/nightmare. Of course, Weiss was not going to take that lying down.

"Hush, you!" The youngest Schnee in the room snapped at him faster than a scorpion striking something with its sting.

 **Moving to the last member of RWBY whose dreams had not been seen as of yet, the camera focused on Ruby. Beside her sleeping form, Zwei had finally made it onto her bed, somehow, and was currently sitting beside the red-hooded girl.**

 **As it did before, the screen faded into Ruby's dream, and this time it was in the Emerald Forest by the looks of it. For a second nothing happened, then, from the right-hand side of the screen, Chibi Ruby rode into the scene. What was it that she was riding? A unicorn? A weapon? A unicorn made of weapons?**

 **No. What she was riding was a hundred times better than unicorns, weapons, or unicorns made of guns.**

 **She was riding the adorable corgi that was Zwei!**

 **"Onward, noble Zwei!" Chibi Ruby cheered her valorous steed onwards.**

"Oh my gosh. That is so awesome!" Ruby loudly squealled with stars for eyes. It was most certainly quite the sight, and seeing it made Ruby believe this dream of hers would not be embarrassing in any way. Zwei was there, how could it possibly go bad for her?

"Just so you know, there's a universe out there where there are corgis the size of horses, and people ride them into battle." Alaric notified his guests, causing the audience to go through a varied array of thoughts and emotions towards that piece of news.

The dog-owners and lovers in thd audience were felt astounded, ecstatic, and somewhat terrified of horse-sized corgis. The idea of having one such animal as a pet, let's not forget a steed, sure sounded incredible. However, the amount of care such dogs must need would be a nightmare. Things such as grooming and disposing of their leavings was more than likely an uneviable task that made plenty think twice about horse-sized corgis, or dogs in general.

Those in the audience who disliked dogs, or did not have much of an opinion towards canines, were more negative when it came to their reactions of dogs the size of horses.

For the only dog in the audience, Zwei, his mind was running a mile a minute and wagged his tail at the idea presented to them. What was going through his mind a mystery to almost all.

 **Chibi Zwei suddenly stopped and threw Chibi Ruby off of his back. Flying a short distance, Chibi Ruby collided with something and fell to the ground. Just what it was she'd banged her disproportionately large head against the audience weren't sure, for they didn't get quite a good look at. Recovering quickly from the impact, Chibi Ruby looked up and saw... Ruby.**

Everyone was understandably shocked to see what was onscreen right now. I mean, Chibi Ruby had been amongst them, quite the adorable experience that had been. However, seeing 'regular' Ruby and Chibi Ruby interact with each other in the latter's dreams was not at all expected by anyone.

 **Noticing each other, both Rubys looked at each other in shock and pointed to the other version of themselves stood before them. And together they uttered the same thing that was running through their heads.**

 **"Oh my gosh, you're adorable!"**

 **"Are you a cosplayer? I love your outfit!" Chibi Ruby excitedly remarked to her taller counterpart, Chibi Zwei following after her. The corgi, and both Rubys, was not at all weirded out by the whole thing for some reason.**

 **"Oh, look at your stubby little legs!" Normal Ruby squealed as she got onto her knees and adored the smaller, chibi version of herself. However, the whole 'stubby little legs' comment didn't sit well with Chibi Ruby. Kind of triggered her actually.**

 **"Hey! Who're you calling stubby?" Chibi Ruby questioned her taller counterpart, drawing and unfolding Crescent Rose into its scythe-form and pointing it at Ruby in a 'threatening' manner. "I'll cut you!"**

 **While Chibi Ruby was trying to appear threatening to the other Ruby, it did not have quite the effect she intended. The audience finding this turn in the two's exchange cute, especially Chibi Ruby's 'intimidating' facial expression. Chibi Ruby's threat actually** **blew right over regular Ruby's head, and all she did was adore the miniature version of Crescent Rose.**

 **"Even Crescent Rose is adorable! Oh, you two are so cute, I just wanna squeeze you 'til you pop!" All of a sudden, Ruby leapt forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Chibi Ruby. The chibi version of the red-hooded Huntress-in-Training tried desperately to free herself from the grip of her taller counterpart's arms, but found she was unable to.**

 **"Ah! Betrayed by my own cuteness! I can't breathe!" Chibi Ruby cried aloud as she struggled to break out of normal Ruby's arms, but doing so proved to be an act of futility, and she remained locked in the arms of her taller counterpart. The screen starting to fade out of the dream and back to reality.**

"Why is this so embarrassing?!" Ruby cried out, this segment and the one before had proven to be nothing but a humiliating affair for her. The part where Chibi Ruby was riding atop Chibi Zwei was absolutely awesome, but overall, this dream was humiliating.

"Ah, don't worry. I had a dream where I turned up to a sports event without any pants on whatsoever. Seriously, not even underwear. What was weirder was that everyone seemed to be fine with it," Alaric uttered. The entire room went still after hearing Alaric recall that dream of his. Noticing how his guests reacted to that information, the Keeper shrugged and said. "What? You have all had weird dreams before!"

When the Keeper said that last part, all the audience could do nothing but agree with him on that matter.

For example, Coco remembered a dream where she wore thigh-high crocs. Emerald and Mercury recalled a dream where they were a couple, a very strange and disgusting thought which they'd sworn never to speak of. Oscar scratched the back of his head as the memory of a dream where he was Headmaster of Beacon came to mind. Even Ghira, the Chieftain of Menagerie, started to remember an odd dream where he was a talking panther who, with the help of a talking bear, was taking care of a human boy in a jungle.

 **Back to the real world, Ruby was also struggling to breathe, but for very different reasons than the one shown in her dream. For Zwei had decided that resting on top of Chibi Ruby's face** **was a good idea for reasons that only the adorable little corgi could understand.**

 **"** **Can't breathe...!** **" Chibi Ruby let out a muffled cry from underneath Zwei as she quickly woke up and realised that her dog was on top of her face. Shooting up into a sitting position, Chibi Ruby was able to knock Zwei off of her, allowing the stubby version of Ruby to take a lifesaving deep breath of air.**

 **"Zwei, that's the third time this week!" Chibi Ruby cried out to her dog, as she slumped back down onto her bed. Zwei didn't seem to register her words, and the corgi just looked at her and wagged his tail like the adorable little doggo that he was.**

 **The screen turning to black a second later.**

Plenty in the audience laughed off the events they had witnessed in this segment of the viewing. A few tried to be mad at Zwei, and berate the dog for what his alternate chibi self had done to Chibi ruby. However, when they tried, they were met with Zwei's lovable face. In the end, those who tried to be mad at Zwei, ended up petting him and calling him a good boi.

One member of the audience, I will not say who, was even more wary of Zwei than ever before. That person ultimately came to the decision of keeping her weapon under her pillow in case the corgi tried to crawl onto her bed and rest on top of her face. They could not trust that dog. Not after what happened the last time the audience ventured into the chibi-verse.

"Suffocation by corgi. That would be a... shameful way to die." Cinder muttered quietly to herself. Suffocation was not really a way she liked to kill people, although, she would do so if she ever had to. A real sicko, eh?

"Huh. I know Zwei's a lapdog, but I never knew he liked being a _facedog_!" Yang said, trying to be funny. The others responded in typical fashion, in that they found litter humour in what the blonde 'master of puns' had just uttered.

"Ugh, really Yang?" Jaune groaned whilst covering his ears with his hands. Yang's 'joke' was that bad.

"I... I have no words for how terrible you are." Maria added to what Jaune had said. She had known someone who really loved to make bad jokes whenever they could during one of her many travels across Remnant. That person had nothing on Yang.

"Philistines! My puns and jokes are works of art!" The 'Y' of RWBY responded to their lack of appreciation of her puns. Her eyes turning red for the briefest moment.

Shaking their heads at Yang's outburst, everyone turned their heads back to the TV screen as the next segment of this viewing began.

 _ **~ A Slip Through Time and Space ~**_

 **The TV screen came to life for the last time for this viewing, and the setting was a Beacon dorm kitchen. Here, Chibi Ruby was stood between the kitchen counter and island, about to stuff a chocolate-chip cookie bigger than her eyes, which were large, into her mouth.**

 **Before she could do so, however, a familiar voice abruptly disturbed the immensely important matter of cookie consumption.**

 **"Hey, Ruby!" The aforementioned voiced cried out in greeting to Chibi Ruby from offscreen. Everyone immediately recognising it to be Nora.**

 **Shocked, Ruby accidentally threw her cookie into the air, before turning to face Chibi Nora and greeting her.**

 **"Oh, uh, hey Nora."**

"That's a habit you have gotten rid of, have you Ms Valkyrie?" Ozpin questioned the orange-haired girl after witnessing her chibi self's sudden appearance.

"Uhhh. Maybe?" Nora replied with an uneasy shrug of her shoulders.

The other Beacon students in the audience looked at Nora with dubious looks on their faces, same went for the professors. Nora was highly excitable, and a fair bit eccentric, and one of the ways this showed was by the very action that her onscreen counterpart had done. But that should be obvious by now, shouldn't it?

 **After a pregnant pause, Nora resumed the conversation she had started the the red-hooded chibi girl. Her eyes suspiciously focused on the bag of coffee beans called 'Real Chibi Beans' sitting on the kitchen island between them.**

 **"Would you mind grabbing those coffee beans for me?" Chibi Nora asked of Ruby. Oddly, she spoke in a slow and drawn-out manner, as if to ensure no erroneous interpretation of the words she had spoken to the team leader of Team RWBY.**

 **"Sure!"** **Ruby said before sliding the bag over to Nora. Seeing nothing wrong with Nora's request, and, strangely, not finding Nora's manner of speaking right now to be weird in any way. For now at least.**

"What's up with her?" Neptune queried, a grown sense of suspicion welling up in him and everyone else in the audience. This looked to be the start of another of Nora's antics, and when those happened, laughs or absolute chaos were sure to follow.

"What is the matter? She just wants coffee beans," Kali innocently questioned. She knew by now that Nora was a hyperactive and excitable, but she saw few ways in which this could go wrong.

Ren, Nora's best friend in the entire world, narrowed his eyes at the TV screen and attempted to figure out what Nora was planning. Given how long the green themed young man had known Nora, it did not take him long to make a fairly accurate guess of what she wanted. She wanted to drink coffee, but why was Nora making Ruby make it when she could do it herself?

 **To the confusion of Chibi Ruby and everyone in the audience, Nora did nothing with the bag of coffee beans, but made another request to Ruby.**

 **"Thanks. Alright, why don't you pop those bad boys in the coffee maker?"**

 **"Uh, okay!" Chibi Ruby complied with Chibi Nora's request once again, poured a good number of coffee beans into a vacant coffee machine on the kitchen counter behind her. But, she was starting to feel a tad bit suspicious of what it was Nora was doing exactly, which was nothing except talk, and why _she_ had to put the coffee beans into the machine.**

 **"Lookin' gooood." Chibi Nora now said as she slid over to Ruby's side and watched her pour some coffee beans into the machine's glass pot. Was she going to do something now? No, she had another request to ask of Chibi Ruby. "Now, How about a little water, those beans look thirsty."**

 **Chibi Ruby was now very suspicious of Nora, narrowing her eyes at her, but she went ahead and filled the macine's empty pot with water. This seemed to excite Chibi Nora to an great degree, or maybe she was already excited, and she had just hidden it behind the fairly calm veneer that she'd worn earlier. When Ruby put the pot back,** **Nora seemed about ready to burst with excitement.**

 **"Yeah. I guess all that's left is to plug the sucker in and turn it on." Nora said to Ruby, raising the latter's suspicion levels to another level. Again, however, Ruby did as Nora said, albeit rather grudgingly. As the coffee was being made, Chibi Nora hurried offscreen and came back a second later with a pink coffee mug in her hands.**

 **"Mind pouring me a cup, pal?" The orange-haired girl implored Chibi Ruby.**

 **The latter was hesitant to follow through with Nora's request, but decided to go ahead with Nora, and shot a hand onto the pot full of fresh coffee. Hopefully, this was the last thing Nora wanted. And besides, what harm was there in pouring Nora a mug of coffee?**

 **"Wait!" Ren's voice spoke from behind Ruby.**

"Thank goodness," Goodwitch uttered as soon as she heard Ren's voice. She was familiar with the chaos that Nora would wreak, having to clean them up once it was over, and was sure she'd get a migraine if any such thing happened onscreen.

"I may be blind, but I sure as hell know that mixing Nora and coffee together is a bad idea." Fox spoke up from CFVY's coach. He and the rest of the team were, like Goodwitch, familiar with Nora's antics. If she drank coffee, the entire team of second-years feared for what may happen to this universe.

"One sip wouldn't hurt. Right?" Nora said, wondering what exactly would happen if Chibi Nora actually drank coffee. She herself had drunk small amounts of coffee before, and nothing negative had come about her consumption of the drink. Well, none that she could remember anyway.

"I dunno, I kind of want to see what happens if she does drink coffee." Mercury shrugged in agreement with Nora, getting a bit bored with this viewing. He wanted action, and hoped that this might give him some.

 **The camera quickly shot over to the side, so that Chibi Ren and Ruby were the main focus of screen. Thankful that the person most likely to understand what Nora was up to was present, Ruby went ahead and pressed Ren for answers.**

 **"Ren, Nora's being weird." Chibi Ruby stated to Ren.**

 **"Nora can't have caffeine. She has too much energy already." The chibi version of the Mistrali boy started to explain to Ruby. "I told her she couldn't make coffee anymore, so instead she is having you do it."**

"So that is why thunder-girl wanted Red to make coffee for her? I got to admit, that sounds rather... I don't know." Roman shook his head at Chibi Ren's explanation of why Nora was having Chibi Ruby be the one to make coffee. Honestly, it sounded a tad bit lazy to him. Was Chibi Ren expecting Chibi Nora not to do that out of some honour agreement?

While a few members of the audience shared similar such sentiments, there were those whose minds were focused on somethings else. Such as what was Chibi Nora doing right now?

"Hold on, are any of them keeping an eye on Nora?" Yatsuhashi brought up to the rest of the audience. That really caught the attention of the others watching, and a couple started to panic over the issue. Ran was facing towards Chibi Ren's direction, but could he see her behind Chibi Ruby's disproportionately large head? They would get their answer in a moment.

 **"Huh. Well, that's some bad logic, Ren. This one is on you." Ruby now said to Ren, confusing both the Ren onscreen and the one in the audience.**

 **"This one?" Both Ren and Chibi Ren uttered in confusion as to what Chibi Ruby meant by that last part.**

 **"Oh, yeah. She drank all the coffee already." Ruby was quick to answer, shocking Chibi Ren and everyone in the audience. Sure enough, the camera zoomed away from Ren and Ruby, to show that Nora had indeed drank all of the coffee Ruby had made for her. And the results were... less than great. It wasn't even good.**

 **For Nora was lying on the kitchen floor, a short distance away from Ruby and Ren, the empty coffee pot on the ground beside her. She was wide-eyed, a smile plastered onto her face, and her body constantly twitching. Seeing the state Chibi Nora was in, the two other occupants of the room ran over to her out of concern for the girl's health.**

Immediately upon seeing the state of Chibi Nora, the audience were just as alarmed as the two other chibi students onscreen, and feared for Chibi Nora.

 **"Nora, stay with us!" Chibi Ren pleaded to Nora. The orange-haired girl did not hear him, being too deep into whatever the heck was going on with her for any outside stimulus to register in her mind. Steadily the camera began to zoom in on Nora's face.**

 **"We're losing her!" Ruby cried out in alarm as the camera suddenly shot into the retina of Chibi Nora's right pupil. What came next was... weird.**

 **When the camera entered Nora's retina, the screen changed to another scene, where the exact same events were happening. Chibi Nora was lying on the ground after drinking a pot of coffee, and stood beside her were Chibi Ruby and Ren. Oddly enough, where the two had been standing in the previous two had been reversed. The camera zoomed into Nora's retina again, and the next scene invoked a good deal of confusion _and_ laughter from the audience.**

"Erm, what?" Ren uttered in astonishment as soon as he saw what was now on the screen. What had happened was that Ren and Ruby had _switched_ clothes. Ren wearing Ruby's, whilst Ruby wore Ren's. It was pretty weird in Ren's opinion, but was not too embarrassed by the sight before him. Instead, the Mistrali boy focused on the strange thing happening onscreen.

"Hahahaha! Oh my-Oh my gosh! I never imagined seeing _you_ wear a skirt! Well, I think I did once. It was-" Nora laughed before going on a long and winding ramble about when she once imagined Ren wearing a dress. Hell, Nora then went ahead to talk about when she once dreamed of Ren being a girl! A pretty one at that.

The rest of the audience went on to question just what was happening. What was going on was actually kind of obvious. Just why and how it was occurring was what stumped the audience members.

"So... uh, this is indeed a strange one." Salem muttered to herself, trying to wrap her head around what was going on before her.

 _"No shit."_ Was written on Neo's sign.

"Is Chibi Nora... going through separate universes or dimensions... after having drunk coffee?" Oscar questioned, silently dreading what would happen if the Nora in the audience also drank coffee. Would _she_ experience something like this?

Alaric remained silent, and left his guests to deliberate the events onscreen by themselves.

 **From there, the camera continued to zoom through Nora's eye and showed even more scenes from several other Chibi-verses.** **There was one where Ren and Blake were stood beside Nora. Followed by a universe where Ren was replaced by Jaune, while Blake stayed. After that was a universe where Roman and Neo stood over Nora. Neptune and Sun replaced the two in the next one, followed by a universe where Neptune, Sun and Nora all wore fake detective mustaches.**

 **The next three have first Ruby, then Ren, then both of them replaced by the Shopkeep. Jaune and Neptune standing over her while holding notepads.**

 **The final zoom into Nora's eye, which was now completely teal, took them not into another version of the events going on in anywhere recognisable, but to a woman standing in a sound booth and reading from a script. The woman was a bit on the thin side physically speaking, and had brown hair and eyes.**

"Um, what?" Weiss questioned no one in particular. The sudden departure from the chibi-verse to... whichever universe was caught her, and may other audience members off-guard.

"Who's she? I got weird deja vu vibes when I look at her." Nora scratched her head in confusion as she looked at the woman. She was not the only one, as all of RWBY, JNPR, and any other associates of Nora felt a strange sense of deja vu when looking at.

When they looked to Alaric for an answer, the Keeper said nothing. Instead, he just chipped off pieces of his icy chair, and dropped them into a cup of iced coffee that he proceeded to drink from. Seeing no explanation coming from Alaric any time soon, the audience decided to keep watching, and make up their own ideas for why this deja vu feeling was here.

 **"Guys, why are you looking at me funny? I'm totally fine, seriously!" The woman said, her voice sounding exactly like Nora's.**

"Hey! She sounds just like me!" Nora immediately commented the moment this unknown woman was done speaking. That certainly shook up the audience. Was this woman another version of Nora? One that looked nothing like her?

 **"And cut. Great job, Sam." A male voice said to the woman from offscreen, followed shortly after by another.**

 **"Uh, yeah, okay, cool. Let's take five and then we'll get back to it."**

"Uh. Was that Jaune and Neptune?" Pyrrha questioned, the red-haired champion immediately recognising the voices that had just spoken. Especially, the one that sounded like Jaune.

"Well... yes but no." Alaric replied to Pyrrha's question.

The audience members looked to Alaric, confused looks on their faces. The two voices were without a doubt Jaune and Neptune's, how was it they could not be? Best guesses the audience could make was that, yes, they were this universe's version of Jaune and Neptune, but they probably did not go by those names or something along those lines.

Alaric, knowing the truth of the matter, let his guests believe what they will.

 **"Ok, sounds great." 'Sam' replied to the two men offscreen. She proceeded to pick up a mug of coffee and took a quick sip. The very moment she was done gulping down the coffee, 'Sam' tensed up and her eyes shot wide open, while the camera zoomed into her right eye and went back to the original Chibi-verse.**

"That was... strange." Ghira spoke up the moment Chibi Nora returned to her 'original' universe.

"Trippy is what I'd call it." Qrow added his own little comment to the mix.

"She was reading a script, correct? Was she-" Oobleck tried to say, a most curious idea having formed in their minds. It was an outrageous idea, but from what Oobleck had just observed, he wanted to question the Keeper anyway. Said Keeper decided Oobleck's question to be one he had no desire to answer, not yet at least.

"Moving on!" Alaric butted in and used his powers to force his audience to focus on the TV screen again. The audience members tried to think on why Alaric had done that, and what was up with this 'Sam' person, but found such thoughts pushed out of their minds.

 **"Oh thank goodness. That was crazy!" Chibi Nora exclaimed after shooting u into a sitting position. Looking beside her, Nora saw Chibi Ren and Ruby standing with concerned looks on their faces. From behind the two, Chibi Zwei entered the scene. Wanting to share the strange experience she had just gone through, Nora continued to speak. "I think I just traveled through a bunch of parallel universes. It was so weird! Did you guys see any of that?!"**

 **"Nope, that does sound pretty crazy though." Ren responded to Nora, in Ruby's voice.**

 **That weirded Nora out, but what happened next was even weirder.**

 **"You doing okay, Nora?" Zwei asked Chibi Nora... in Jaune's voice.**

 **It was at that moment did Chibi Nora, and the audience watching, realise that they were not back in the original Chibi-verse from earlier.**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

Seeing that the viewing was finally over, the audience started to express their thoughts on what they had just seen. More specifically, what had happened to Chibi Nora at the end.

"Well... that just happened." Sun remarked.

"Yeah. I guess it did," Blake added to what Sun had just said.

"So... did Ms Valkyrie's chibi alternate really travel through alternate dimensions just by drinking coffee?" Ozpin questioned the Keeper, sending a quick glance down at the coffee mug in his hand.

"Sure did. What Chibi Nora experienced was a unique phenomenon where a person can traverse the Multiverse." Alaric responded to them, though, he then thumbed his masked chin as he mumbled out what he had to say next. "Though, maybe it isn't really unique when you consider the sheer amount of times people do travel between universes."

"Wait a sec. Travelling between universes is something that happens a lot?" Coco questioned, Alaric's last statement catching her attention.

"Rare in the grand scope of things. But, it does happen in a fair number of universes. A consistent event in some universe branches," Alaric began to explain to his audience, who listened to him with rapt fascination. "The right triggers, conditions, and power requirements to do so vary between universe branches, and the individual universes themselves. When they are met, practically anyone can cross the void that separates the universes from each other, and can bring about great change if they have the will and resources to. A good number of worlds from your universe branch receive an inter-dimensional/universal visitor or two."

The knowledge that there was a possibility that they could receive otherworldly visitors was both fascinating and terrifying to the audience members. They'd seen the crazy crap that existed throughout the multiverse, and while they would like to meet some, others were an absolute no go. Who knows what might happen if such an event occurred.

A blonde shinobi cursed to bear a powerful fox-spirit/demon thing might fall in love with Ruby, or vice versa.

Weiss might get a dragon maid.

Smut books or fanfictions from another universe might somehow land on Blake's lap.

Yang could get ahold of a massive mech suit from another universe, like in those cartoons and movies where giant mechas fight monsters and stuff.

All sorts of damned vixens could try to steal Jaune from Pyrrha.

Summer Rose might come back as one of those Guardians from the Traveller universe.

A ginormous reptile monster that shot energy beams from their mouth could appear from out of nowhere and devastate all of Vale.

I think you get the point.

"Well, at least our Nora doesn't drink coffee. I can't imagine what would happen if she did. Right?" Jaune remarked, earning a few nods of agreement from the others. Nora had been unusually silent, normally blurting something out by now, so a few of the audience members turned their heads towards her to see what was up. The moment their eyes lay on Nora, did they understand just why the orange-haired girl had been silent.

Nora was, to the horror of everyone present, gulping down a mug full of coffee. The thing is, the mug was suspended in mid-air, and it appeared that some unseen force was holding her mouth open and forcing her to drink the caffeinated brown liquid. What was probably more horrifying was that the caffeine already seemed to be doing its work on her, as Nora was wide-eyed and her body constantly twitching.

"Nora!" Ren, and almost everyone else in the audience, exclaimed in shock the moment they saw the aforementioned sight. Even Alaric, who shot up onto his feet and reached a hand out towards the 'N' of JNPR.

"What? No!" Alaric cried out in alarm.

But, before the Keeper, or anyone else, could do anything, the room was engulfed with a burst of pink light that burst out from Nora.

* * *

 **This chapter was _much_ longer than this final version. I originally had two other RWBY Chibi skits; 'Cinder Who?' and 'Mortal Frenemies', but I cut them out because I lacked the energy to finish them, and just wanted this chapter over and done with.**

 **Thinking of adding new additions to the audience next chapter. For example,** **how does a samoyed husky faunus version of Blake sound?**

 **For the next chapter, I'm not certain. I plan to write two more chapters before going ahead with The Lost Fable chapter. Among them, I will write one on the Team Fortress 2: Expiration Date short. The others? No idea right now.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	40. D-Frag

**Author's Note:**

 **Here we go, another chapter of 'RWBY and Friends watch the Multiverse'.**

 **It's been a while since I last did a chapter on an anime, so here we are. This will also be a short one, so yay. Never heard of D-Frag before?**

 **Well, you will now!**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **D-Frag**

When the pink light dissipated, and sight returned to all in the viewing room of Alaric's Repository, everything seemed to be fine at first. When they turned towards Nora, however, they saw that all was not well.

Nora was still sat on JNPR's coach, her body constantly twitching. Her head was reared by, the girl's eyes were filled with turqoise light whilst small sparks of lightining would shoot of them every so often. From her agape mouth, multi-hued vapours spilled forth.

"Nora!" Ren cried out in alarm as he reached out to her. The instance his hand clasped onto her shoulder, a burst of lightning shot out from her and arced towards several members of the audience. A kind of crystalline force field suddenly manifested before everyone, but the lightning ripped through the shield and struck everyone in the room.

Miraculously, no one appeared to have suffered any harm from the lightning. Nothing at all happened to them. The lightning just shot into them and seemingly dissipated.

"No one touch her!" Alaric yelled at his guests as he stormed over to Nora's partially frozen form and examined her. He was careful not to make any physical contact with her, not wanting another lightning strike to come from her and possibly endanger everyone. Only a few seconds into his inspection, and the Keeper let out resoundingly _positive_ evaluation of Nora's condition. "Hmmm. Well, crap."

The door to the main Repository was suddenly thrown open with a loud bang, and Talos, Alaric's bronze automaton assistant, surged through it.

"Master?" Talos's monotonous, robotic voice questioned the black-clad man. The automatons optics quickly scanning the entire room as he crossed the distance.

"Talos. Contain Nora, please." Alaric ordered the automaton. The bronze machine immediately followed through with the command, the front of his metallic torso peeling open, and a green energy net shot from within the machine's torso, wrapping around Nora. With Nora 'safely' contained, Talos telekinetically lifted the girl, and sat her down on a chair separate from the others.

"What happened to her?" Pyrrha asked Alaric, incredibly concerned for her teammate.

"Something like what happened in the last viewing. Before you ask, no, I did not do this." Alaric assured them. The audience sensed no lie in his voice, and his concern appeared genuine. "Right now, her mind is crossing through multiple universes via her alternate selves. I'll admit, this is actually fascinating to witness in person."

Everyone gave him blank looks for that last comment, which the Keeper just ignored and kept gauging Nora's current state. Letting out a frustrated grunt, Alaric ordered Talos to stand guard over Nora.

"Can't you snap her out of this?" Weiss inquired of Alaric, expressing the same confusion the others felt for why the Keeper was doing nothing to remedy Nora's situation. Given the amount of power he had shown before, their thoughts were understandable.

"Yeah, like... splash her with some magical water or something!" Sun suggested to Alaric. He did not really know what could possibly help Nora, but he got points for trying.

"That's a no go I'm afraid, for I might pull in other versions of Nora with her. They could come here as two seperate entities, horrifically spliced together, or their minds might occupy the same body. I could also pull in something... well, let's leave it at that." The Keeper shook his head as he explained to his guests, disheartening most of them with this news. "Best thing we can do is wait for Nora to come back."

The news that there was nothing that they could do to help Nora caused her friends to feel dejected over the matter, and started to worry for her more with every second that passed. Others felt sorry for Nora, and hoped she would be alright, both in mind and body. On the other hand, there were those in the audience who did not care for her state.

"Caw!" A bird suddenly called out from where Qrow was sat. That was most confusing to everyone in the room, for they had not noticed the presence of a bird amongst them, and some expected Qrow to say something by now. So, turned their heads to see what was up.

Now, you, the readers, get three guesses what happened to Qrow. You done guessing?

Qrow's head turned into a fragging crow's!

"What the hell?!" Glynda, Ironwood, Ozpin, and Taiyang yelled in pure shock of the sight before them.

"Uncle Qrow?!" Ruby and Yang also cried out in alarm after seeing their beloved uncle changed in the way he was. I mean, if you saw the head of a well liked relative of yours be suddenly replaced with a bird's, I'm sure you would have a similar such reaction.

"Caw!" Qrow, or as I shall henceforth refer to him as 'Crow', cried out in distressed panic. He raised his arms and felt his avian head with his still human hands, alarming the Huntsmen even further. Though his new head did not make it easy to infer his thoughts through facial expressions, everyone else could see that Crow was starting to freak out. "Caw!"

"It just had to be you this happens to." Raven shook her head at her transformed brother. There had been difficulties when Raven and Qrow were first granted the ability to turn to birds, such as them spontaneously transforming into their bird forms without thinking, but nothing so drastic as this had happened to either of them.

"CAW!" Crow screamed at Raven, very likely out of anger towards his sister.

"Wonderful. He's even more annoying," Winter commented. Also receiving an angered caw from the, um, man-bird.

"Well this is... bad. Must be because of that damned lightning. Just why would it do that, I wonder?" Alaric remarked, his voice filled with a mix of alarm and amusement at Crow's plight.

As Alaric and the others began to muse over what to do, and why exactly this was happening, others noticed that Crow was not the only person affected by the lightning. A certain old lady without eyes comes to mind.

"Miss Calavera? Is-Is that you?" Velvet spoke, awe in her voice. Hearing the rabbit Faunus's words, everyone looked to Maria, dreading what they would see. Their fears were unnecessary, and replaced with the self-same awe present in Velvet. Not at all surprising considering what happened to her.

Maria was affected by the lightning that struck her, but its effects were not as adverse when compared to what happened to Crow. In fact, one could say it was beneficial to her. Where a short, slightly cranky old woman had sat, a tall woman with shoulder-length black hair, tan skin, different clothing to Maria, and with a white skull mask concealing most of her face now sat in her place. The woman was examining her hands, then used said hands to feel her hair and then the skull mask over her face.

"Whoa!" Several of the younger audience members exclaimed, feeling equally shocked about Maria's transformation as they had towards Crow's. Not just because of the change, but because how she did not look half bad to be honest.

"Caw?" Crow blurted out an amazed cry. If it weren't for his new crow-head, the Huntsman would have enunciated his astonishment much better.

"The Grimm Reaper?" A few others in the audience gasped upon recognising just who they had been sitting with. They had been sitting with a living legend.

"Huh, figured you would all learn eventually. I didn't think it would be... like this." Maria uttered in response to the audience's astonishment of her true identity. Truth be told, Maria too was amazed, not just because she was young again, but because her eyes had been restored to her. It was slightly overwhelming to be honest. The Grimm Reaper kept her mask on though, believing that it was not yet time to reveal the colour of her eyes.

Sure there was a fellow Silver-Eyes in the room, but there was no telling how any of them would react to her being a Silver-Eyes. Maria had been careful about that piece of information so far, keeping it a secret a bit longer would harm no one.

"Can I have your autograph?" Ruby squealed after zipping right up to the now younger Maria, her silver eyes staring up into the dark eyeholes of the Grimm Reaper's mask.

"Easy, sister. Let the lady be for now," Yang said as she pulled Ruby away from Maria by her hood. The younger girl protesting as she was dragged away from the awesome Huntresses that Qrow had told them stories of when he acted as a babysitter on occasion. He had imparted his admiration for the Grimm Reaper into his youngest niece, and if half the stories Qrow told were true, Maria was one of the strongest Huntresses in the world.

If the changes brought about by the lightning from Nora had stopped then and there, everything would have been fine and dandy. Well, sort of anyway. But the changes did not stop there, and one more person was subject to the effects of the lightning.

"What is happening to me?!" Salem suddenly shrieked. Turning towards the woman from Remnant's ancient and forgotten past, everyone's blood ran cold when they saw what was becoming of her.

Salem's right arm was turning deathly white. The fingernails of her right hand darkened until they were as black as the night-sky, while dark purple veins became visible under her skin. Whatever was affecting Salem spread to her shoulder, and would have gone further without Alaric's intervention. The Keeper's gloved hand grasped onto Salem's afflicted arm, and whatever was happening to her ceased, for the moment. Her arm was still ghastly to look upon, and to their alarm, the everyone noticed that several strands of Salem's hair had turned white and her irises were now as red as blood.

She began to panic, a look of unrivalled horror set on Salem's face as she looked on her arm. When Salem saw the changes to her hair and eyes in a mirror hanging on one of the walls, she looked like she was about to become hysterical. Before anyone could act, Alaric crouched before Salem, both hands holding her arms, and attempted to comfort Salem.

"Look at me Salem. Stay calm, alright? Salem. Salem!" The Keeper's words reached through to the incredibly distressed woman, and she locked her red eyes with Alaric's golden ones. Neither said anything, the both of them just stared into each other's eyes. Everyone else in the audience guessed that the two must be having a telepathic conversation.

It was nice to see that Alaric was trying to comfort Salem, but that was when the others in the audience started questioning things.

The audience members not aware of the Salem in their universe questioned just what was happening to the Salem with them. It was really freaky, and they found it incredibly hard to look at her right arm. It just... felt wrong for some reason or another, like it should not be.

For those aware of their universes's Salem, they wondered if the change that threatened to overcome this Salem was a sign of her future. A more radical question that popped up in their minds was whether she was their universe's Salem. It was crazy, and Alaric had claimed she was indeed from another universe, but was that true?

Then there was Alaric's behaviour. There was a sense of genuine concern in Alaric's actions that went beyond making sure one of his guests was fine. He was trying to hide Salem's potential future form, yes, but there was so much more behind it.

Alaric pulled away from Salem, who seemed to be much calmer now, and turned to the rest of the audience.

"I'll try to figure out what caused this to happen to you three and find a way to reverse this, somehow. You were all hit by that lightning, so please keep an eye on each other. If anything goes amiss, alert everyone, especially me or Talos. Got it?" Alaric said to his guests after letting out a quick sigh.

"None of us are going to turn into mice are we? The very thought of it will-" Port said to Alaric before he started to actually hyperventilate, needing the assistance of his colleagues to calm down.

"I'm with the Huntsman on that. We aren't gonna turn to toddlers or old geezers, are we? 'Cus I think I like how I look right now." Roman commented, a few others in the audience voicing their agreement with the criminal. Not at all something many wanted to do, but hey, who does want to become a toddler or incredibly old person?

No offense meant to both age groups.

"I make no promises." Alaric grunted as he sat back on his chair, which was now a high-backed chair made of polished obsidian. Once the Keeper was sat down, he started to rummage through his robes in search of his remote. "I was thinking of showing a violent universe, but, considering recent events, I'll hold back on such things for now."

Guessing that there was little else they could do right now, the audience sat back and prepared to watch the next universe Alaric had in mind for them to watch. Alaric found his remote, pointed it at the screen, and pressed play.

 **The TV screen came to life, and the audience were greeted with an aerial view of a secondary/high school. Beacon High, to be exact. It looked normal enough, there were no giant monsters terrorising the students, no explosions going off for some reason or another, and no commotion whatsoever.**

 **Cutting to an area behind the school, there were four students, all males, crouching and eating their lunch together. The camera then focused boy as they seemingly introduced themselves to the camera.**

 **The first was a very short and rotund individual with pale-green hair styled into three mini-mohawks on top of his head. How short? Under half the height of an average person. In one hand he held a bucket of fried chicken.**

 **"I am the Pine Party's bulldozing dump truck. Russel!" The short student introduced himself.**

The sight before the audience was curious, and were thankful that this universe appeared to be fairly normal when contrasted to the last few. Still, they would keep their guard in case of any insane stuff popped up.

"Russel, huh? Can't belief I'm seeing a version of him with an even worse hairdo." Yang remarked after hearing the now identified Russel state his name to the camera. Let's not forget that this version of Russel was a midget, and appeared to be a bit of a glutton if that half-empty bucket of fried chicken said anything about him.

"Caw!" Crow let out a cry of agreement. Having seen his fair share of weird or bad hairdo during his time in the field.

"Are we seriously going to have to listen to him talk this way?" Roman asked Alaric with an annoyed grunt. He, and a few others, did not want to put up with hearing a bird's cry every so often. The criminal did not like Crow already, this whole crow-head thing did not help matters.

"'Fraid so," the Keeper responded with an exasperated shake of his head.

Aside from talking about the Russel onscreen, as well as Crow's new head and manner of speech, a few noticed something interesting in what Russel had said.

"What was that about the 'Pine Party'?" Oscar inquired, wondering what Russel meant by that. It sounded like some gang or something. And why did it bear his surname? Did he lead it?

 **The next person the camera focused on was very tall and cool-looking guy with slicked-back black hair, tan skin, and dark shades with oval lenses. Unlike Russel's alternate in this universe, this tall young man was easily recognised by the audience. He was not too different from the version of him in the audience, anyway.**

 **"I hit my head on most doors. Surpassing Vale's average height with ease, I'm Yatsuhashi!" Yatsuhashi said, following Russel's example.**

"Hmmm, that's a nice look on you Yatsuhashi. When we get back, we're going to get you some shades, and let that hair of yours grow a bit. A bit of product and we'll get you looking like this Yatsuhashi in no time." Coco declared to the big, green-themed warrior of Team CFVY.

"If... that's what you want, Coco." Yatsuhashi sighed to himself. When his team leader set her mind on something, you bet your ass she'll see it through to the end.

 **After Yatsuhashi was done introducing himself, the camera focused on the third person in the group, who was a guy of average height, silvery-grey hair, grey eyes, and wearing thin-rimmed glasses. Similar to the young man before him, this person was immediately recognised to be none other than Mercury.**

 **"I'm the Student Body Vice President and the Pine Party's Chief of Operations! I'm Mercury Black!"**

"Great. I'm with these nerds. At least I'm getting some screen time," Mercury shrugged as he put his hands behind his head.

"I bet you'll get your ass handed to you like in that universe where you fought over bento." Emerald remarked, earning Mercury's ire. It had been a while back, but everyone who had been there to watch that universe remembered how easily Mercury had been taken out of the fight.

"Oh yeah? How much are you willing to bet?" Mercury said as he glared at Emerald.

The two did nothing straight away, really expecting their boss, Cinder, to chide them for their actions and reign them in. However, that did not happen, as Cinder was more focused on Salem, Specifically, Cinder was focusing on Salem's deathly white arm, her pale white hair, and blood red eyes. The more Cinder focused on the woman, the more she could see traces of the Salem that she knew and obeyed.

Salem had never divulged her origins to her, or anyone as far as Cinder could tell. Could this really be what her mistress used to be? Could she really have been human once? If so, there was one very important question to ask.

How did she become what she was now?

 **Changing to a new angle, the camera now showed a view of the entire group, three of whom appeared to be looking at their fourth member. Said member was Oscar Pine, although, it a second for the fact to register in the audience's minds. He was certainly taller than his counterpart in the audience, about average male height, but the main difference between the two Oscars was that the onscreen one exceptionally spikey hair. He, like the one in the audience was confused as to why his friends had introduced themselves.**

 **"Why'd ya start introducin' yourselves while we were eatin'?" Oscar questioned his long time friends.**

"Damn! And here I thought that _I_ had spikey hair. Look at Oscar's!" Sun spoke up in admiration of the hair on the Oscar onscreen. Did it occur naturally, or did he use some kind of hair product?

"Y'know Oscar. Spiky hair doesn't look bad on you." Ruby complemented Oscar on his alternate self's hairstyle.

"Uh, thanks... Ruby." The farmhand replied to Ruby, thankful that there was someone in the audience who liked as well. Really, Oscar had no idea if such spikiness was possible. It appeared to Oscar that he might be the central figure in this viewing, which was pretty cool to him.

"Say hello to the Pine Party, an infamous gang in Beacon High. Childhood friends and a bunch of delinquents as well. If you could not tell from the name, Oscar's the leader of this group. But, funnily enough, people couldn't remember who he was until recently. Alaric declared to his guests. The use of the word 'delinquent' intriguing a few members of the audience.

Those who had gotten into trouble before, be it by being a nuisance or committing minor crimes, they wondered what kind of stuff they got into. The more responsible adults shook in disapproval of the boys choice of lifestyle to follow. The less responsible adults in the audience were reminded of their early years, and how much trouble they got into back then. Others did not care and kept watching.

 **"Then I shall answer in kind!" A voice suddenly called out from behind Oscar. The camera abruptly panned to a view of a person standing behind the leader of the Pine Party. Said person had white hair and light blue eyes. Though he was taller than the one they knew, the Schnee sisters instantly recognised this person to be their brother, Whitely Schnee.**

 **"I belong to the same Game Creation Club (Provisional) as Oscar! I'm Whitely Schnee!" Whitely introduced himself to the group, the air around him twinkling with light somehow.**

"So that's your brother?" Blake asked Weiss and Winter, the latter two nodding in response. She knew of each member of the Schnee Family, having watched a good few members of the White Fang practise on training dummies with their faces printed onto them. They had already seen Jacque, the family patriarch, but this was the first time seeing the younger of the Schnee children in one of these viewings.

Aside from that, the only thing Blake could think of Whitely was how punchable that face of his was. He just had one of those faces, you know what I mean?

"What is... What is going on with the air around him?" Maria questioned, puzzled by whether Whitely was doing that or if Alaric had edited it in for dramatic purposes. She had paused a few words into her sentence because she was still getting used to hearing her more youthful voice again. Damn, was this whole experience getting weirder by the second.

In response, the Keeper just skirted around the Grimm Reaper's question, choosing not to answer her.

"'Game Creation Club'? Hm, what do they do there? Sounds fun!" Velvet piped up and asked. There were a few student clubs with varying activities back in Beacon, but she had never heard of one such as a 'Game Creation Club' before. The same went for many others in the audience, who looked expectantly at Alaric.

Having planned to tell them about this club anyway, Alaric shrugged and told them what he knew. What he _knew_ was not entirely what his guests wanted or expected. Same old, same old.

"Honestly, they don't really make a lot of games. It's more of a place for weird friends to hang out, and a place for their teacher advisor to get some shut eye. Heck, it was founded because its two founding members quit the _Real_ Game Creation Club, and decided to start their own. The _Fake_ Game Creation Club." When the Keeper finished talking, it took a bit and a half for the information to fully sink in.

Plenty audience members were slightly taken aback to learn of the how and why the Fake Game Creation Club was started. Others, particularly the professors, were stunned to learn that the teacher responsible for this club was, apparently, spending their time sleeping instead of doing their job. And what had Alaric meant by 'weird friends'?

 **"Were you introducin' yourselves to him?!" Oscar questioned the three other members of their gang, appearing not at all pleased by Whitely's presence. In response, Russel, Yatsuhashi, and Mercury nodded their heads.**

 **Without a word, Whitely stepped past Oscar and Mercury, then stood between the four members of the Pine Party. Did he do anything else? No, the guy just stood between them.**

 **"What?! Why're you just standing in the middle?!" Oscar loudly questioned Whitely.**

 **"Oh, sorry! Apparently I like confined, cramped places!" Whitely responded.**

"Er, what?" Weiss and Winter said, confused as hell by what this alternate version of the brother had said. And why did Whitely seem a bit... excited when he said that?

"Yeah. He's a weirdo. A masochist in fact," Alaric clarified for his audience. Those who understood what the word 'masochist' tensed, all of them feeling no small degree of discomfort at this Whitely's... preferences. The few who were unaware of what a masochist was, scratched their heads, and inquired their more well informed peers as to what it meant.

"A maso-what now?" Ruby asked the other audience members.

Hearing Ruby's words, some members of the audience started to sweat as they began to come up with what to tell her. Some were able to quickly formulate an answer to Ruby's question. Their responses well thought out so to not disturb Ruby, and the few others, who wanted it. Well, it would not disturb them too much. However, before anyone else could say anything, Penny had accessed her internal dictionary, and provided Ruby with an answer.

"A masochist, Friend Ruby, is an individual who derives sexual gratification from their own pain and/or humiliation."

In response to Penny's choice to tell Ruby and the others what a masochist was, and without considering how they would react, plenty of people shook their heads at her. For his part, Ironwood slapped his gloved hand onto his face. What Penny had done reminded him of the fact that Penny required a bit of... refinement, before he could say that Penny had fully mastered the grand struggle that was social interaction.

Looking to Ruby, the audience saw that she was stock still. Frozen where she sat. Absolutely stunned that anyone could feel... _that_ from _THAT._

"Friend Ruby? Ruby?" Penny asked the red-hooded girl, who remained like a statue despite the efforts of those trying to break her out of this state. The robot-girl was still unaware of the reason why Ruby was like this when she turned to Alaric, and asked. "Mr Alaric. Was it something I said?"

"Maybe Penny. Maybe," Alaric said while letting out an amused chuckle. The Keeper knowing damn well that Penny had indeed done this to Ruby, though involuntarily.

 **Surprisngly, Mercury let out a quick laugh after hearing Whitely's response. Following it up with a thumbs up and words of his own.**

 **"Hey, Oscar! Your buddy from the club is pretty neat."**

 **"We're not buddies!" Oscar was quick to deny any kind of friendship with Whitely. In his eyes, the guy was annoying and a major creep.**

 **"We aren't... buddies?" Whitely repeated Oscar's words, acting as if he had been cruelly struck in the heart. A dark aura surrounded the young man, and a shadow came over his eyes as he looked down on the floor.**

 _ **'This guy's nothing but a pain in the ass!'**_ **The delinquent leader of Pine Party mentally grumbled to himself as he looked on Whitely's melodramatic display. He already had to put up with a bunch of crazies back in the club, now he had to deal with this guy.**

 **In the end, despite what objections Oscar may have on the matter, his party let Whitely eat his lunch with them. It had been going fairly normally, but then it just had to get weird again. Who was the one who kickstarted this weirdness?**

 **Whitely, that's who.**

 **"By the way, Oscar, I don't see your briefcase. Is it in your classroom?" The white-haired teen asked Oscar.**

 **"Yeah. What about it?" Oscar answered him, feeling suspicious of Whitely's reasons for asking.**

 **"That's unacceptable! After all. You've been keeping..." Whitely proceeded to clench his fist tightly as an image of a red, cloth bag that could fit a person's head appeared in the air. "...Ruby's bag in that briefcase!"**

Still very much baffled by the behaviour and actions of this other version of Whitely, the audience were bamboozled by his apparent fascination with this bag that he mentioned. And what did Ruby have to do with this?

"Um, why is that bag important?" Yang questioned. She did not know why, but her protective older sister senses were going off right now. The Whitely of this universe wasn't being a creep towards her, was he? If he was, Yang was resolved to kick his ass.

Funnily enough, Taiyang, Crow, and Zwei possessed similar thoughts to Yang, and had come up with different ways to punish the Schnee onscreen if he did anything to Ruby. Tai's idea was to beat the crap out of him until Whitely was dead, and then beat out of his ghost. Crow decided that he would peck his eyes out if he laid a hand on his niece from another universe, and kick his nuts for being a Schnee. Zwei would call on a might corgi herd, and unleash the corgi apocalypse if something happened to Ruby.

"And why does he seem a bit... excited when talking about it?" Ghira uttered, a good number of other audience members letting out murmurs of agreement towards the panther Faunus's words.

"I believe I have a good idea why that is so," Winter sighed. That bag could fit a person's head in it, and since this alternate of her younger brother enjoyed 'cramped spaces', a person did not need to be an astrophysicist to understand the reasons behind his... excitement. "God, this universe is weird."

"You are correct, milady. Consider that bag this Ruby's Crescent Rose. She uses it in her signature attack, where she forcibly stuffs it over people's heads." Alaric explained after a few more people expressed their concern. That last sentence giving the audience a good idea as to where the Keeper was going. "Whitely's been subject to Ruby's 'special attack', and developed a bit of a... _thing_ for it. I, uh, need not say more."

"To... each their own. I guess," Oobleck hesitantly spoke up. He had once worked with a young Huntress who let herself get hit by opponents because of her own masochist preferences. The professor forgot her name, Tenebre _('Darkness' in Latin *wink, wink*)_ or something like that, but came to accept her, despite how uncomfortable she made him feel. "Let us keep watching."

"Yes please!" Weiss loudly said in agreement with Port's last sentence. The sooner they were done with this universe, the sooner they would be free to watch something saner than what they were watching right now.

 **"How do you know it's in my briefcase?!" Oscar yelled in alarm. The spikey haired boy had literally fought nearly _half_ of Beacon High for that bag, and he did not want a crazy like Whitely anywhere near it.**

 **"Ruby told me!" Whitely nonchalantly replied.**

 **"Darn that bag freak!" The leader of Pine Party grumbled to himself. However, guessing that there was no point denying it, Oscar confirmed that Ruby's bag was inside his school briefcase. He still remained suspicious of what intentions Whitely may have for the bag. "Yeah. That's where I've been keepin' it."**

 **"I see. So you've been taking good care of it. That makes me happy." Whitely then packed up his lunch, and started to leave the Pine Party to finish their lunch by themselves. Most definitely _not_ because he intended to grab Oscar's briefcase for masochistic purposes. No, no, no, this Whitely was _definitely_ _not_ the kind of guy who'd _ever_ do such a thing.**

 **"Well, I just remembered something urgent, so I must run." Whitely excused himself from the Pine Party.**

 **"That screams unnatural! I bet you're after the bag!" Oscar was quick to guess at Whitely's true intentions for leaving so abruptly.**

 **"Ahaha! Oscar, I hate to have you think so little of me! Having lost, I have no right to wear that bag." Oscar went ahead to assure Jaune, reminding him of the fight between half the school over Ruby's back. This confused the hazel-eyed delinquent, and the audience, to no end. Perhaps this version of Whitely was not so much of a weirdo as they were lead to initially believe.**

 **"R-Really?" The leader of the Pine Party hesitantly asked the Schnee.**

"So... is he going to go after the bag?" Oscar asked, feeling that, though Whitely meant what he said, he had another idea in mind.

"Please let that not be the case." Ironwood whispered, though he really knew better. He knew by now that, if there was a chance that a situation could get even weirder than it already was, it would most likely get weirder. Whether anyone wanted it to or not.

 **"At most, I could stuff my head into your briefcase with the bag inside it..." Whitely said, crushing any hopes that he was less of a weirdo. Plenty of the audience were a bit freaked out by the lengths this Whitely was willing to go, something they shared with the Oscar onscreen.**

 **"That's even worse!" Oscar** **yelled, angry that Whitely was willing to do such a thing with other people's personal stuff for his crazy antics.**

 **To Oscar and the audience's relief, there was one other member of the Pine Party who seemed opposed to such mistreatment of Oscar's belongings. It was Mercury, and many were grateful for his intervention, and display of responsibility.**

 **"Stop right there! I'll let you eat with us, but I cannot allow you to do something that will upset my friend!" Mercury stated to Whitely, who stopped where he stood.**

Most of the audience let out a sigh of dejection at seeing that Whitely did indeed seek to fulfill his weird kink for cramped spaces. Let us not forget the fact that he wanted to stuff his head into Oscar's bag. Seriously, who the hell does that?

Still, plenty were thankful that Mercury had stepped up and acted as the responsible one in this weird situation.

"A voice of reason, thank goodness!" Glynda exclaimed, relieved there was someone other than Oscar was trying to stop Whitely. He was a good friend, the Student Body's Vice President for a reason, well, they hoped anyway. They could never be too sure of anything, unless it was the weirdness of these viewings.

"Yeah, this is totally in another universe. Mercury is never a voice of reason." Emerald said as a joke, though, she partially meant it.

"Shut up, Emerald!" Mercury responded to what his fellow peon had just said. Though there was less action going on right now, he was onscreen right now, not Emerald. He would not let her ruin his spot in the limelight.

 **"Mercury…" Oscar whispered, just about to express his thanks for his friend's intervention. Mercury stopped Oscar from finishing what he was about to say. Which was a good thing, for it meant that Oscar did not waste his breath on an undeserved 'thank you'.**

 **Why was it undeserved? It's because of what Mercury had to say next.**

 **"And even I haven't done that! If you're going to do that, I get first dibs!"**

"Oh come on!" Mercury yelled, indignant when faced with the fact that this other version of himself was also a weirdo like Whitely. A masochist. He had really thought that this universe would be an improvement from the last one with the fight for bento. "Why the crap am I getting shafted in these universes?!"

Everyone else in the audience were stunned by the realisation that the Mercury onscreen was a masochist. They were also disappointed in him for also wanting to stuff his head into his friend's briefcase.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you this, but Mercury is also a masochist. Though, he's more into being stepped on by pretty women." Alaric informed his guests, his words not helping Mercury's mood. Not that the Keeper cared for what Mercury thought or felt right now. "You wanna who in particular you like being stepped on? Hahahahaha!"

As Alaric started to, somewhat manically, laugh to himself. His eyes darted between Emerald and Cinder. Indicating that either one of _them_ to be the person whose feet Mercury enjoying being under.

Cinder was into stepping on people, but so long as _she_ was the only one feeling good in that situation. It would be even better if the person beneath her was an enemy. Oh, that would be some much better in Cinder's mind.

Emerald, while not into that kind of stuff, was okay with being the one to step on Mercury. No really special reasons here, she just liked the sound of doing it to him.

"This got a whole lot crazier than I thought it would." Neptune stated, the rest of the audience members wholeheartedly agreeing with them. Sensing where all this was going, they knew in their bones that this viewing would only get crazier. Just how much crazier was the question running through their minds.

 **"You first?!" Oscar shouted in a mixture of alarm, confusion, and betrayal.**

 **"Relax, Oscar." Russel tried to allay any fears that Oscar may have for his briefcase, and what those two crazies were about to do with it. The shortest member of the Pine Party acted calm, and continued munching on his fried chicken.**

 **"A person's head couldn't possibly fit inside unless they really jammed it in." Yatsuhashi joined in. Like Russel, he was also calm about the matter, and appeared sure of his words.**

 **"Y-You're right." Oscar uttered upon realising the truth behind the two's words. There was no way a person's head could possibly fit inside the main pocket of his briefcase. Besides, even if someone could fit their head inside his briefcase, it would be _super_ cramped. "Did you hear that, guys? Wouldn't something that cramped suck?"**

 **Oscar's words, in contrast to his intent, did not stop Whitely and Mercury. In fact, they appeared even more motivated than ever to stuff their heads in Oscar's briefcase.**

 **"The more cramped, the better!" The two crazies said together.**

 **"Well, Oscar, I'm going to borrow your briefcase!" Whitely bade Oscar farewell as he began to sprint towards the nearest entrance to the school. Absolutely determined to get his hands on that briefcase.**

 **"Rest at ease! I will protect your briefcase, Oscar!" Mercury assured Oscar as he began to breathe heavily and sprint after Whitely.**

 **"That's _not_ what you're going to do..." Oscar muttered to himself. Quickly realising that he was just standing there like an idiot, while two other idiots were running off to molest his briefcase, Oscar started to run after them as well. "W-Wait! Hey!"**

"This will be great." Oscar groaned as he watched his alternate self pursue his fellow party member and clubmate. He was sure things were about to get wild, and that _he_ would be stuck in the middle of it.

"Do not fret, young man! For I am certain a professor or teacher will stop those two before they lay a finger on your bag. Who knows, maybe it shall be a strong, handsome man with a well-groomed moustache. Haha!" Port attempted to reassure the farm boy. Obviously referring to himself in that last sentence.

"Isn't it lunch-time or something? Wouldn't the teachers be having lunch in the staff lounge or something?" Jaune said, bringing up a good point.

Realising that Jaune likely spoke true, along with an affirmative nod from Alaric, the audience realised that there would indeed be no teacher in the classroom the three were running to. And without one present, well, there was one very likely fate for Oscar's poor briefcase. Sun being the one to express it accurately enough.

"Well, RIP Oscar's briefcase. You held stuff."

 **The camera cut away from the back of the school and to one of Beacon High's classrooms, more specifically the classroom where Oscar's briefcase was stashed away in. Inside a few students were also having lunch, one of them being Velvet Scarletina.**

 **The thing is, this version of Velvet was shorter than the one in the audience. While she was shorter, she looked like an adorable little angel if many of the audience members had to be honest with themselves. She still retained those bunny ears of hers, and her brown hair was done up into two short pigtails tied up by a pair of brown ribbons, which further added to this Velvet's cuteness.**

The sight of this smaller, slightly younger version of Velvet shook a grand majority of the audience to their core. They were shaken by how absolutely adorable she was.

It was then that the audience noticed a small podium had materialised before each and every one of them. On these podiums was a large red button, and over those buttons were holographic signs asking them, 'Do you pledge to protect?'.

Almost instantly, many of the audience smashed their podium button. Eaching one pledging to protect the adorableness that was this universe's version of Velvet. The Velvet amongst them felt incredibly embarrassed by how everyone was acting towards this other version of her, but that did not stop her from also pledging to protect her as well. There were those who were able to resist pressing the button, but it was only a matter of time before they did so.

It was... inevitable.

 **As she was eating her lunch, Velvet and the girls she was sat with picked up some kind of commotion outside their classroom, followed by its door being hastily slid open. What they saw was more than a little strange.**

 **There was Oscar Pine, leader of the infamous gang of delinquents known as 'The Pine Party', struggling to hold back Whitely Schnee and Mercury Black from entering the classroom.**

 **"I'm gonna put it on!"**

 **"Oscar, out of my way!"**

 **"Velvet! Sorry, but please protect my briefcase!" Oscar desperately implored of Velvet.**

 **"Uh, pardon?" The rabbit faunus asked Oscar. Confused as to what was going on, and why Oscar had asked _her_ to guard his briefcase. ****Oscar, finding that his strength was starting to fail, pleaded to Velvet.**

 **"Please! Its fate rest on your shoulders!"**

 **"On me?! Uh, understood!" Velvet squeaked, as she raced over to Oscar briefcase and picked it up.**

"Gods, you are adorable." Ren suddenly spoke up, earning a few looks from the other audience members. Particularly from the members of Team CFVY. Noticing that his words may be misinterpreted in a way he did not intend, Ren was quick to clarify what he meant. "Uh, I meant that it in a friendly manner. There was no deeper meaning in my comment."

"Sure." Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi said together. They believed him, but that did not stop them from bunching up around their faunus teammate. Just so they can... keep her warm. Yeah, that's why.

For her part, Velvet graciously accepted Ren's compliment, and rolled her eyes at the way her teammates were behaving.

"Henceforth I shall call you, Velvet Adorable-ina." Yang announced to everyone in another attempt to be funny. Was it funny? Nah. And it showed on everyone's disappointed faces.

 _"Damn, blondie. That was just... so bad."_ Neo wrote down on her sign, before blowing a raspberry at her.

Yang crossed her arms and began to sulk about how no one in the audience, apart from her dad, appreciated the genius of her puns and jokes. If Alaric brought in another version of herself into the audience, then there would be another person who liked Yang's form of humour. Yang hoped such a thing would be soon, for it sucked to be in a room full humorless bums.

 **"Hahaha! What a joke!" Whitely laughed as he and Mercury were able to climb over Oscar, and push him to the ground. "You've chosen the wrong person, Oscar!"**

 **"Velvet doesn't have what it takes to stop us!" Mercury proclaimed to his delinquent, and far more normal, friend.**

 **For his part, Oscar, who was on the floor and starting to feel a migraine in his head, could barely stand what was going on.**

 **"When did you two team up?!" When Oscar looked up from the ground, he saw that the two were back to fighting each other over his briefcase. Seizing this moment while those two idiots were distracted, Oscar yelled a more specific request over to Velvet, who now held his briefcase close to her chest. "Velvet, make sure they don't get my briefcase!"**

 **"O-Okay! I'll protect it with my life!" Velvet answered Oscar's plea, still unsure of what was going on.** **What did she do?**

 **She held Oscar's brown briefcase over her head, as far as her arms could reach. The thing is, given her much shorter stature when compared to the three young men, Velvet was holding the briefcase just above their heads. Honestly, holding it against her chest would have probably been a much better idea.**

 **Everyone in the classroom had noticed Velvet's mistake, and looked at her blankly. Even Mercury and Whitely had ceased their fighting to just look at Velvet for her poor lapse of judgment.**

 **"Actually, you've made it easier for them to reach." Oscar stated, breaking the brief silence that fell over the classroom.**

 **Moments later, Mercury and Whitely had grabbed hold of Oscar's briefcase and were playing a three-way game of tug-of-war with each other and Velvet. Velvet, who still clung onto the briefcase, held onto it for dear life, a distressed look on her face as she was accosted by Mercury and Whitely. Meanwhile, Oscar, who had gotten back on his feet, was repeatedly trying to smack the two masochist's hands away from his briefcase.**

 **"Give it to me!"**

 **"Gimme the bag! Gimme!"**

 **"Hey, stop it! Crap, crap, crap! Velvet's about to cry!"**

 **Sure enough, a close-up of Velvet's face showed that it had gone completely red, and it looked like she was on the verge of tears.**

The audience reacted disapprovingly to how Mercury and Whitely were treating Velvet. It should be a crime to make someone as cute as her cry. A few were screaming for blood because of how the two were making Velvet upset. If she were not in the state she currently was, many were positive that Nora calling for Whitely and Mercury's legs to be broken right about now.

A quick look over to Nora showed she was still stuck in her paralyzed state. Talos the Automaton both guarding and examining her through the energy netting.

For her part, Velvet buried her face into her hands. The rabbit faunus unable to take the embarrassing events onscreen, and people's reaction to it. She appreciated the support, but she would have liked it if they expressed it in a different way.

"You know, this kind of thing happens fairly frequently in Beacon. Although, I have never heard of an incident where students fought each other so they could stuff their heads into a briefcase." The Headmaster of Beacon spoke up and told the others present. Being the man he was, Ozpin had seen many things throughout his multitude of life times, but he had never seen anything like this before.

"I'm not sure if that helps, Oz." Taiyang remarked, knowing quite well what the Headmaster meant. As a teacher in Signal, he could also confirm that stuff like this happened back in his Combat School as well.

"Cawww!" Crow also added to what his brother-in-law had said. His 'words' still unintelligable to the everyone else in the room. Seeing that no one could understand him, apart from the Keeper who was quietly laughing at Crow, the bird-headed man shrugged and returned to drinking from his glass.

 **In the end, after no small amount of trying, Oscar was able to break Mercury and Whitely away from Velvet and his briefcase. Keeping the two in an elbow look, allowing Velvet to calm down from the stressful situation she found herself caught up in.**

 **"I said she can't take it!" Oscar yelled at the two masochist, who were trying their damnedest to break free from his grip. Regretting dragging Velvet into all this, Oscar looked up and came up with a new plan. "You've done enough! Just throw my briefcase out the window."**

 **"Huh? You briefcase...?" Velvet muttered to herself after hearing Oscar's words. She looked to the object in her hands, before sharply looking back at Oscar, and spoke with great determination. "I can't! You shouldn't be rough with your things!"**

"Does she know that she's just complicating things?" Blake questioned. Though the Velvet onscreen was correct about how to treat your belongings, there were times where such an idea had to be tossed out the window. Literally in the case of Oscar's briefcase.

"This disadvantage of being too nice," Alaric sighed. What he had to say next was surprising. "Velvet washed Ruby's bag not long ago, and caused almost the entire male population of Beacon High to fight each other over it. All because she washed."

All of the audience were startled to learn that approximately half of a school was willing to fight each other for a bag of all things.

Pyrrha let her mind wander a bit after hearing Alaric's words. She had overheard her friends say she was too nice sometimes, especially towards Jaune. While she did not believe she was, Pyrrha did recall the instance where she agreed to Jaune's name ideas for team combos. They weren't _all_ bad, but no all of them were good either. The champion could have said no or disagreed with him, in spite of that, she agreed with Jaune, and now JNPR used his 'creative' team combo names.

Hearing how half of Beacon High fought itself had Pyrrha hoping that she would not cause anything like.

 ** _'Huh? Did I just get scolded?'_ Oscar thought to himself. By Velvet of all people? ****"Then hide it or somethin'!"**

 **"I-I'm not sure where to hide it..." Velvet replied as she scanned the room for a place to hide the briefcase in her hands. _'Hide it... Hide it... Hide it somewhere hard for guys to touch...'_**

 **The world around Velvet began to morph so to show some of the ideas of where to hide Oscar's briefcase the rabbit faunus came up with. These included stuffing it under her waistcoat and shirt. Another, more dubious one, was hiding it under her skirt somehow.**

 **Back to reality, it was revealed that Velvet was just standing there. Frustrating Oscar as he continued to keep Mercury and Whitely locked in the crook of his elbows.**

 **"Why'd ya freeze?! Please move!" Oscar questioned Velvet, his voice breaking her out of her thoughts. Instead of doing anything useful, however, Velvet began to rapidly shake her head as the stress started to come over her again. "How is movin' your head gonna help?!"**

 **Incidentally, Oscar unknowingly made an idea flourish in Velvet's mind.**

 **"My head..." Velvet thought about it for a second, before devoting herself to the idea she'd come up with. "I got the message, Oscar!"**

 **Velvet emptied all the contents of Oscar's briefcase onto a nearby desk, confusing the leader of the Pine Party, and causing the two masochists he was holding back to pause in their efforts to break free. Everyone else in the classroom, who had done jack except stand there and watch the whole thing happen, were also dumbfounded as to what Velvet was doing.**

 **"Now..." The young faunus rose the briefcase right over her head, and swiftly brought it down. Stuffing her head inside the thing. "…it will be safe!"**

 **Everyone in the classroom just stared at Velvet, many actually surprised she had been able to cram her head inside Oscar's briefcase. Though, they were sure it must be very cramped inside it, as well as painful considering her long rabbit ears were probably being squished in there.**

"D-Did she just stuff her head into my briefcase?" Oscar rhetorically asked everyone else in the room. He could see that she had, the farm boy, and everyone else for that matter, were astonished Velvet was able to fit her head inside it.

"So... how is that supposed to stop Mercury and Whitely from pulling the briefcase off of her?" Maria said, voicing a very important question. While it was a bit impressive, the audience were wondering why Velvet thought that this was a good idea. It was probably painful, and taking it off her equally so.

Alaric, knowing how this would end, sat back and kept quiet. Petting Zwei, who was laying on the Keeper's lap, by gently stroking the corgi's head and back with one gloved hand. Those that saw the Keeper thought he looked like some spy movie villain. All he needed right now was a monocle, or some other piece of stereotypical villain apparel and he was set.

 **"I just stuffed my head into his briefcase." Velvet resolutely stated, her body trembling as she struggled to speak to the trio in 'front' of her. Her voice muffled by the briefcase covering all of her head. "It's super cramped! It'll hurt if you tear it off! I'm sure it'll hurt a lot! But I believe that Whitely and Mercury would never hurt me!"**

 **A quick cut away from Velvet showed that she had been speaking to the chalkboard in front of the classroom, instead of Mercury, Oscar, and Whitely.**

"Caw?" Crow tried to say in a normal voice, but obviously failed in the attempt.

"We still can't understand you, Crow. So it's probably best if you stayed quiet. This way we won't have to hear you screeching into our ears, or smell your breath." Raven said to her bird-headed, or bird-brained as she would put it, brother. Causing said brother to launch a storm of angry caws at Raven.

It would be funny if it were not so annoying to hear.

"That's... not a terrible idea," Salem piped up. She had been pretty quiet over the course of this viewing, much of her attention having been focused on her right arm. For obvious reasons.

 **Whitely and Oscar, who were now free from Oscar, stared at Velvet in mild confusion, shook their heads and started to walk out of the room. Hell, they were even smiling pleasantly as they left. This, obviously, confused Oscar and the audience, because weren't those two fighting tooth and nail just so they could get their hands on the briefcase?**

 **"Well played, Velvet! You've won!" Mercury surprisingly congratulated Velvet.**

 **"Velvet, you're the Cramped Champion!" Mercury declared, giving the girl a quick wink and thumbs-up, the air sparkling around him as he did so. With that, the classroom door slid shut behind the two.**

 **Back with Oscar, the young man was looking at the door, completely perplexed by how the whole situation had gone.**

 **"C-Cramped?" Velvet muttered in confusion, the briefcase still over her head.**

 **"Are ya pissed?" Oscar asked Velvet, knowing that it was his fault she had gotten involved in all this. She was one of the kindest people in Beacon High, and he did _not_ want to be on her bad side. **

**"Cramped?" The rabbit faunus repeated.**

 **With that, the screen turned to black.**

The audience were pretty mixed as to how they should react to all that they had just witnessed at the end.

Plenty were glad that Mercury and Whitely had ceased their attempts to stuff their heads into Oscar's briefcase, but why they stopped was a bit ridiculous. Weiss and Winter felt like distancing themselves from Whitely a bit more than they already felt. Mercury looked about ready to let out a loud swear. Meanwhile, Oscar and Velvet was as confused as her alternate selves.

Checking the podiums, Alaric saw that every last member of the audience had pressed the podiums' buttons. Every last one of them pledging to protect the cuteness of the short, pig-tailed Velvet of that universe. He knew they would.

"Good. Good," Alaric cackled as he drew out that last 'Good'. The Keeper sounding like some evil dark lord as he did.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, Talos stepped forward and spoke.

"Master. I highly recommend that you focus your attention to Blake Belladonna." Alaric and everyone in the room directed their attention towards Blake, just as the automaton suggested. What they saw was both concerning and amusing at the same time.

"Blake, are those... dog ears on your head?" Kali questioned her daughter. Sure enough, atop Blake's head were a pair of fluffy, white dog ears where her cat ears had once been. Heck, before their very eyes, the audience watched as all of Blake's hair turned from black to white. The colour of her hair matching her new ears.

Seeing this, Alaric said only two words.

"Well shit."

* * *

 **Did I just make you read about three guys fighting over a briefcase? Two of whom wanted to stuff their heads in it? Yes. Yes I did.**

 **If I keep to the plan, I'll write one more chapter after this. The one after that will be The Lost Fable.**

 **I'll see you all when I next see you.**


	41. The Silmarillion: Fall of Fingolfin

**Author's Note:**

 **Yeah, yeah, it has been a while. Almost two months since my last update in fact.**

 **My reasons/excuses are: growing mental fatigue whilst writing this fanfiction, distractions that diverted my attention away from working on my fanfictions, and a good few personal matters that took precedence over fanfic writing. There were even times where I thought I should discontinue the whole fanfic entirely because of how bored I was actually getting when working on it. I will try not to give up on it, I have put too much time and effort to stop now, but I cannot make any promises.**

 **As another important notice; after some careful delibiration, I believe I shall stop taking requests from readers. I have a list of requests and ideas as long as Santa Claus's, and I have been finding it hard to keep track of the things in it. Actually writing chapters on them even more so. Readers have requested good ideas, but, I ultimately find myself doing chapters on stuff I personally want instead.**

 **I apologise that it has come to this, but I hope you all understand why I have come to this decision. I may look to my list of reader requested chapter ideas and use them, but again, I make no promises that I will.**

 **RWBY Volume 7 Episodes 1 and 2 were... well, I can't say I expected half of what I saw. That is all I have to say.**

 **Now, on what this chapter is. For those not aware, The Silmarillion is a book on what happened before the events of 'The Hobbit' and 'Lord of the Rings.' There are plenty of great stuff in it, some of the best being the romance of Beren and Luthien, the tragedy of Turin Turambar, and the Falls of Gondolin and Numenor.**

 **The event I have written in this chapter takes up only seven long paragraphs. I am not joking, only seven paragraphs. Yet it is one of my favourite and most memorable moments in the book. Also, because it is short, I decided to do it because I did not have the mind to do a lengthy chapter.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **The Silmarillion: Fall of Fingolfin**

The viewing room of Alaric's Repository was currently undergoing a bit of a ruckuss right now. Ever since whatever happened to Nora, four audience members had experienced some kind of transformation or change. The most recent person to have this change befall them, Blake, was currently being shown the utmost concern by her friends.

"Wow Blake. I don't know why, but I kind of like your new look." Yang said to Blake, giving her teammate a wink and a thumbs up.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on how to return her to normal?" Weiss reasonably suggested, frowning at Yang for where her mind had gone. While Blake's change was not excessive, it was their duty as Blake's friends to help reverse the change however they can. Just how they could help was the problem.

"Hey, looks like Zwei likes you even more Blake. Maybe you two can be friends!" Ruby squealled at the idea of her quiet teammate and her dog finally getting along. Sure enough, Zwei was excitedly running laps around Blake. After circling her for the fifth time, Zwei sat in front of the former-cat faunus, before proceeding to let out a couple joyful barks as he wagged his adorable little tail.

"Please... stop." Blake pleaded to her friends. Why was she being made to suffer? Why?

Everyone else's reaction to Blake's sudden transformation from a black-haired cat girl ninja to a white-haired dog girl ninja, was just as varied as RWBY's. Many were concerned for her, though they were relieved that she was okay. A few were either intrigued by the transformation, or completely indifferent to it. Some, not naming any names, thought Blake looked kind of good the way she was, and did not mind the change.

"After careful analysis, I am 95% certain that Blake has transformed into a samoyed husky faunus." Penny informed Blake and the others. Weirding them all out with her unusual behaviour and manner of speech. Still, an interesting bit of information to learn either way, though, probably not for Blake.

"You mean those walking clouds?" Mercury questioned, finally seeing where he had seen Blake's new ears from. Those who had seen a samoyed husky before were in agreement with the grey-haired boy. Their fur was so fluffy and white.

"Well, at least this is not as... drastic as the others," Ghira uttered as he finally got over his daughter's change in appearance. Glancing over to Crow, the now young Maria, and the pale-armed Salem, Blake had certainly come out better than the three others who had been changed.

As that was going on, Alaric, the Keeper of this Repository, was conversing with Talos, his bronze automaton assistant.

"Master, I do believe we should prioritise reversing these mutations instead of focusing on the viewings. If Keeper Ahriman, or Melchior even, were to find out-" Before Talos could say anything else, he was cut off by the black-robed Keeper.

"Alright, alright. You don't need to tell me twice, Talos." Alaric sighed, his contemplative gaze not leaving the still immobile Nora. A gloved hand floating a couple centimetres away from the energy net around. Still not looking away from Nora, Alaric took out his remote and pressed a few buttons. "Here, you lot can watch this while Talos and I work on Nora."

 **"Kono Dio da!"**

"Wrong one," the Keeper grunted as he pressed a few more buttons on his remote. Causing the screen to go dark, but not before the audience caught a glimpse of what was going on in that universe. Again, doing this without even moving his head.

"I don't know about you, but that guy looked like an a-hole." Taiyang frowned as his spoke his mind about the handsome, yet dickhead looking blonde man that briefly occupied the TV screen. There was something about the guy that rubbed the single father of two the wrong way. He was not alone, as a few murmurs of agreement arose from the audience.

"Caw!" Crow cried. Still no one could understand him, and whatever witty remark or sarcastic complaint the veteran Huntsman might have said was lost to everyone else. This frustrated Crow to no end, so he went back to drinking from his glass of alcohol.

 **"You're a wizard, Harry."**

"No. Damn it, I am terrible right now." A few more button presses, and the TV screen changed to another scene. Unfortuantely, it was not to the one Alaric was wishing for.

 **"I've been sitting here for days! Start the damn joust before I piss me self!"**

"How _very_ charming." Maria sarcastically remarked on the words of a fat, bearded man wearing a crown. Most of the audience shared the Grimm Reaper's opinion, as did the woman with blonde hair and lovely cheekbones who had been sat beside the man. A few thought it was amusing, and wondered what happened next in that universe.

 **"Boy!"**

"That guy looked badass," Yang remarked on that brief snippet they saw. The person who spoken was a well-muscled man, he had a badass axe strapped onto his back, cool red tattoos, and a full beard. While many could agree that he looked badass, there was something that concerned the rest of the audience. However, his ashen-white skin was a bit strange.

"You don't want to know why his skin is like that," Alaric said after reading his guests' thoughts. "Is this it?"

 **"Yes, it's me... your homeroom teacher..."**

"Was that... Professor Goodwitch?" Velvet murmured out. The rabbit faunus and everyone else watching were greatly perplexed, and almost dumbstruck, by what they had seen. For very startling reasons.

"In a maid outfit?" Ironwood uttered, feeling rather confused in regards to how he should feel about. Never in his wildest dreams had the Altesian General and Headmaster of Atlas thought he would see Glynda dressed in such a manner. Should he be turned on, or pertified of how Glynda would take this?

"With Ren?!" Pyrrha said, sparing a glance towards her teammate.

"Alone in a room together?!" Ozpin of all people questioned. He did not want to jump to any conclusions, but it was a bit suspicious seeing his colleague alone with a student, and dressed in such strange attire. The Headmaster of Beacon sincerely hoped nothing... illicit was going on in that universe.

Everyone's heads slowly turned first to Ren, then to Goodwitch. Ren took it well, remaining composed despite the uneasiness he felt. Professor Goodwitch on the other hand... well, just as everyone feared, she was less than happy with that quick snippet they had seen. A dark aura surrounded her, and from behind her glasses, the professor's eyes could only be described as murderous.

"Hoo boy. Calm down there Becky," Alaric jokingly said as he tried to cool her temper. The instant the Keeper called her 'Becky',' Goodwitch fixed that intimidating gaze upon him, causing Alaric to rethink his prior choice of words. "Uh uh, I mean, Professor Goodwitch!"

 **"Let it go, let it go**

 **And I'll rise like the break of dawn"**

"Hehehe. Nope, definitely not that one, but it would be amusing for you lot to see it in full. Maybe later," Alaric mused to himself as he continued to search for the universe he was searching for.

Over to the side, Cinder wore a look of anger and confusion. What was _she_ doing singing? And... was she inside of an ice palace or something? An ice palace was something more up the Schnees' alley than the fiery Cinder Fall's.

 **"Up on melancholy hill**

 **There's a plastic tree**

 **Are you here with me?**

 **Just looking out on the day**

 **Of another dream"**

"Ooh, I'm close now!" Alaric said as he let out a sigh of relief. Interestingly, he seemed to have let this scene play out a bit, appearing to have enjoyed the song that was playing before he cut it off. Plenty in the audience had to admit that it did sound nice. Finally, after fiddling with a few more buttons, the Keeper let out a jubilant cry. "There we are! Hope you enjoy!"

 **The TV screen opened to a scorched and desolate field of dust, where little to no life dared live. In a time long ago this great plain was Ard-galen, a wide green plain, now it was Dor-nu-Fauglith, the 'Land under Choking Ash.'**

 **Storming across it, kicking up dust like a wrathful hurricane wind, a lone rider pressed his great white horse through the plain. A great sense of wrath and despair seemed to emanate from the rider. So much so that what little life there was to witness his passing, mistook the rider for some furious spirit, and fled in terror.**

"Who's that?" Oscar wondered aloud, squinting his eyes as he and everyone else tried to get a better look at the rider. He was too far away though, so the effort proved fruitless.

"You'll see in a moment. Now, what if-" Alaric's voice was cut off by an explosion that rocked the entire room, and sent the Keeper flying into the wall right next to the TV screen. Quickly getting back onto his feet, Alaric threw aside a wand made of yew, and returned back to Nora and Talos. "No! Definitely not!"

Slightly worried for Nora, and their safety, the audience returned their eyes to the TV screen. Hoping that no more sudden explosions occurred behind them, and that the Keeper actually knew what he was doing.

 **The camera panned to the side and showed the rider's goal. An immense fortress nestled amidst three volcanic mountains of a great mountain range. High black walls and spiked towers rose high into the sky, and chimneys that constantly belched forth black smoke from the fortress's countless underground smithies went even higher. A single great gate set with massive brazen doors provided access to the fortress, appearing as the maw of some great beast or the entrance to Hell itself.**

Most of the audience were, not impressed, but taken aback by the sheer size of the fortress now onscreen.

"That's one hell of a fortress," Emerald said with a shudder. Sure in the belief that she would never see a more intimidating place in her life. Even Cinder, who had walked the dark paths of the Grimmlands, and slept under the roof of Salem's castle, thought the same as her minion.

"Certainly screams 'evil lair,'" Yatsuhashi spoke up as he tried to imagine what kind of person could possibly wish to call it home. He could think of none.

"Welcome to Angband, the 'Iron Prison.' The current abode of Morgoth, the most evil being in this universe." Everyone rose an eyebrow at the mention of its primary occupant being 'the most evil being in this universe.' "The forces of the Elves and Men besieged it for 400 years, but never did were they able to breach its walls. For there was no power they possessed that could break it open, and, truth be told, it was more of an encirclement meant to contain Morgoth's raiding armies than an actual siege. Recently the siege was broken, and is why the rider is here."

Four centuries? Four centuries spent sieging a single location? As Alaric provided no explanation, the audience were left wondering just why Elves and Men spent so long assualting Angband. It being the home of this universe's 'most evil being', was a likely reason why. But was that their only reason?

Only time would tell.

 **Though the danger of boldly approaching Angband as he did now was great, for it would be easy for one of the Great Enemy's servants to cast a bolt and smite him as he drew near. The rider continued on. Any fear he felt was suppressed by his burning hate for Morgoth, and the great sorrow he felt for the misfortunes that had befallen his House and people.**

 **It was now that the camera zoomed in on the rider, and laid bare to the audience just who they were.**

"Jaune?" Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, Sun and Neptune cried out in surprise.

"Mr Arc?" The professors in the audience exclaimed out of astonishment.

"BlondIE boy?" Torchwick, Emerald and Mercury blurted out in shock.

"Uh, you?" Everyone else uttered.

 **He was indeed Jaune, yet great was the difference between the two.**

 **For the Jaune onscreen appeared to be in his mid-twenties or thirties. His hair was long and dark in colouration, as opposed to the short and blonde hair the audience's Jaune had. The ears of this other Jaune ended with points, marking him as an elf to the audience.**

 **Turning to the attire of this alternate version of JNPR's leader, they saw it too was different. He was arrayed in blue silk and wore plate and chainmail armour overlaid with silver, making him appear as a beacon of light in this dark land.** **With him also were an ornate horn, a tall silver helmet, a straight sword sheathed in a jewelled scabbard, and a blue kite shield in the shape of a leaf and set with crystals.**

 **Yet, out of all that, it was Jaune's eyes that stood out of the most. They remained the blue of the Jaune in the audience, yet they appeared to bear the weight of centuries of existence despite his youthful face. They also shone with a madness and light that startled all but two in the viewing room.**

"He looks super mad," Neptune stated the instant he looked on this other Jaune's face. Never before had they seen such an expression on their universe's Jaune. It was honestly disconcerting to a few who were used to him being in his usual amiable mood.

"Is it just me, or is it weird seeing myself with long, dark hair?" Jaune questioned the others, weirded out by how different his hair in this universe was. He had never let his hair grow _that_ long, though his sisters had once tried to talk him into letting his hair grow. The blonde boy was also unsure about it being dark, but he sure was envious of how luxurious his hair was in this.

"Caw!"

"We still do not understand you Crow," Winter let out an irritated sigh after hearing Crow try and say something again. She was pretty indifferent about Jaune, but had to admit to herself that she admired his regalia.

"In this universe, you are known as Fingolfin. Second High King of the Noldor, or Deep Elves." Alaric notified Jaune and the audience, all the while rigging up some strange device set with a multitude of magnifying glasses. What that device was supposed to do they did not have the foggiest idea. Still, it was what he had said that interested them more than what he was currently doing.

"Waaaaaah?!" Jaune, and several others, shouted in amazement of the information Alaric just shared with them.

"'Deep Elves'? Do they live underground or something?" Oobleck asked, ignoring the fact a student of his was royalty in this universe, and more concerned about who these 'Noldor' were. Especially their history and culture, and if there was something to be learnt from them that could improve the Kingdoms of Remnant.

"They're known as such because of their _deep_ knowledge on their world, particularly in metallurgy and craftsmanship. Learning what they know from the divine powers that rule this world. Not because they live underground." The Keeper told his audience, a golden eye scrutinizing Nora through five magnifying glasses of his device. "Fingolfin actually rules over two-thirds of the Noldor, who left their paradisal home continent as exiles for the continent the events you witnessing taken place on. 'Middle-Earth,' as it is known by its many occupants."

"Fascinating," Oobleck muttered to himself. Again, the information that Alaric had provided was all too brief, but it was information nonetheless. Still, aside from their alleged talent in metallurgy and craftsmanship, that two-thirds of their population were exiles intrigued the audience.

What had happened to cause these Noldor to become exiles? Were they forced, or was it self-imposed?

"Uh, Pyrrha?" Ren uttered, waving a hand in front of said girl's eyes as she sat transfixed on the TV screen.

"Wha-What? I'm-I'm fine! Totally fine!" The Champion hurriedly assured Ren as she broke free from her trance-like state, and laughed nervously. She had been enamoured with the sight of this other Jaune, though she wished he shared her Jaune's blonde hair. That would have been much better in her opinion.

 **At last, after having crossed Dor-nu-Fauglith, Fingolfin was before the high walls and great gate of Angband. There was movement amidst the tall ramparts, and fell voices could be heard whispering dark tongues. Yet none dared attack Fingolfin.**

 **Such was the Noldor High King's wrath, that all who beheld him quailled or ran from him.**

 **Taking up his horn, Fingolfin blew into it, and the shrill sound that followed after rung against the stones and metal of Angband. The creatures that hid within covered their ears in terror of it. That done, Fingolfin spurred his horse towards the gate and smote his mailed fist against it the brazen doors of his foes fortress.**

 **"Come out, Morgoth! Come out, foul coward! Come out, lord of slaves!" Fingolfin cried out to the fortress, calling out to Morgoth in challenge. "If mightiest of all things on Arda thy art, and not the mightiest of cravens, come out and face me!"**

"He's got some serious balls to be doing that," Fox said as he munched on a handful of popcorn.

"Please note, Morgoth _is_ the mightiest being on the face of this world. In all existence he is second only by Eru Illuvatar, the creator and god of Arda. So yes, serious balls. Mithril balls!" Alaric laughed as he said that last part. His words in regards to Morgoth's power certainly did not encourage any hope in how a duel between Fingolfin and Morgoth were turn out for the former.

"Could you have chosen a more... eloquent way of saying that? I would rather dumb things such as that be left for Crow to say," Ironwood sighed.

"Caw!" Crow shrieked at Ironwood indignantly, before proceeding to try an peck the military leader of Atlas with his beak. Perhaps Crow was starting to get a bit too used to having a crow's head, for normally he would try to punch Ironwood. As they returned to watching the events on the TV screen, after breaking Crow and Ironwood apart from each other, most of the audience hoped Alaric would find a way to reverse Crow's.

 **No voice called out in answer to the High King's challenge. No sound, not the howl of the wind or crackle of flame, dared to break the silence that followed Fingolfin's words.** **It was as if all creation was waiting for Morgoth's answer.**

 **Soon enough, it came.**

 **The very ground beneath Fingolfin's feet shuddered, and the mountains around Angband trembled, as the rumour of the Great Enemy's feet echoed from his subterranean throne like thunder underground. He was coming. He would answer Fingolfin's challenge.**

 **Knowing that his foe was approaching, Fingolfin made himself ready for the confrontation ahead.** **Placing his helm atop his head, the High King of the Noldor dismounted from his horse, took up his shield and prepared to unsheathe his sword. Ye** **t, he paused. Turning to his horse, Fingolfin spoke to the animal that had bravely borne him here.**

 **"Away, Rochallor. Return to Hithlum, and live out the rest of thy days in peace, if ought is possible in these woeful days." The horse, however, neighed in defiance and gently nestled his head against Fingolfin's armoured chest. Fingolfin's expression softened, and gently patted the side of Rochallor's head with his free hand. "Go, my friend. This is no place for a horse."**

 **Reluctantly, Rochallor obeyed his master and trod some distance away, yet stopped and turned back towards Fingolfin. As if waiting for the moment his master were to call to him, and bear him away from this terrible place.**

"Awww, such a loyal and beautiful horse!" Weiss cooed at Rochallor's show of loyalty to Jaune's alternate. In her head, she was dreaming of having a horse, or any other animal companion, as fine and devoted to her as Rochallor. Sure there was Zwei, but he was Ruby and Yang's dog, so, sadly, he could never be hers.

"Horses are overrated," Mercury grunted. The boy never held a high opinion of horses, or other equines.

"Shut it you!" Weiss snapped at Mercury.

While they and a few others talked about Fingolfin and Rochallor, others focused on Morgoth's noisome approach.

"So how large is this Morgoth?" Ghira asked of Alaric, who was now waving a metal detector-like device at Nora. As someone of large stature, he was aware of how intimidating his heavy footfalls could be to some people, especially when in a temper. From the way the very earth seemed to shake, Ghira, and everyone else, imagined him to be a giant.

"He is able to change his appearance, but most of the time he appeared as very tall, even gigantic, man. So yeah, the guy should be pretty big." The Keeper quickly responded to the panther faunus. "He won't be mind-blowing tall in this, just enough for the sight of him to shock you."

 **Touched as he was by Rochallor's loyalty and love for him, Fingolfin's face hardened, and he turned back to Angband. Pulling his sword out from its scabbard, the audience were dazzled by it. It resembled Crocea Mors, yet its craftsmanship and beauty was greater. To the fascination and bewilderment of the audience, it glittered with an icy glow.**

Many 'oohed' and 'awwwed' at the sight of this universe's version of Crocea Mors, if it was indeed another version of Jaune's sword.

"What's up with the blade? Why is it... glowing?" Jaune questioned, caught off-guard by how wondrous his weapon was in this universe. He was alright with how Crocea Mors looked right now, but laying eyes on his alternate version's weapon made him think twice about that. Would his family approve if he made a few... minor adjustments to their family heirloom?

"Yeah, Elvish blades made by the Noldor in this time could be made so that they glowed in the presence of Orcs." Alaric explained, fascinating the audience even further. "With the Elves' Siege of Angband broken, and Orcs roaming freely in their lands, you can see why such a thing would be highly useful for anyone in this world."

Blades that could glow in the presence of enemies. Plenty in the audience admired such an idea. Several audience members wished for something like that in Remnant, that way it would be harder for them to be surprised by their enemies. Especially the Grimm.

"It would be pretty cool if our weapons could glow when the Grimm come near."

"'Cool'? It would be awesome!" Ruby yelled, the thought of Crescent Rose's blade blowing when the Grimm were close almost causing her to swoon out of sheer excitement. It would make her look more like a hero than ever before.

"Not sure if it would be great for stealth, but I can understand its uses." Blake muttered, having finally gotten over her change in hair colour and faunus ears.

 **Morgoth's footsteps grew louder, and were so near he must be behind the Angband's gate. Sure enough, the doors slowly swung open, and there he stood.**

 **Issuing forth from his fortress, the Dark Lord stood at over twice the height of Fingolfin ( _who stood at around 1.8 metres or 6 feet tall_ ) and was clad head-to-toe in black armour, casting a tall shadow that eclipsed the Elf. One hand held Grond, a powerful warhammer that no mortal being could hope to lift or come out unscathed if struck by it. In the other, he carried a vast rectangular shield painted sable that bore no device or heraldry. Atop Morgoth's helmet rested a tall iron crown set with three beautiful diamond-like gems that immediately captivated the audience.**

 **Few, if anything, could possibly compare to the splendour of the gems on Morgoth's brow. Whoever had cut them had done it so perfectly, that to say there was even a single flaw should to tantamount to sacrilege. Another reason for the gems captivating impact all who looked upon them, was how they shone with a magnificent light comparable to a billion stars. A light that offered a glimpse of a time now lost.**

All of the audience were shaken by the malice and hatred that radiated from Morgoth, and, as stated before, the audience were enraptured by the gems. The longer they looked upon them, a greed and lust for them gradually grew within all of them. To the point that they began to covet the gems for themselves.

"That is Melkor, or Morgoth as he is primarily known as. He is a Vala, a-" Quickly noticing his audience's entranced state, Alaric snapped his fingers and blindfolds immediately wrapped around their eyes. "Ahem! As I was saying, that is Morgoth, formerly Melkor. He is a Vala, a 'god' of Arda. Though, perhaps 'angel' is a more apt description. Well, he is more of a fallen god/angel really, and every evil in this world can be traced back to him. His corruptions and twisted will led to things such Orcs, Trolls, and even Dragons, which will plague the world for thousands of years."

"Those jewels that so enraptured you are the Silmarils. Probably the finest works ever created by the Noldor, or anyone on Arda for that matter. So wondrous are the Silmarils, the good Valar blessed them so that no mortal, or creature of evil, may safely touch them. Morgoth stole them from the Noldor who created them, and has to suffer them burning his brow for, as I said, he is the greatest of this world's evils."

"Alright, Alright! Can you just take these damn things off us?!" Torchwick grunted as he tried to pull off the blindfold wrapped around his eyes.

Not a second later, the blindfolds were gone, and the audience could see again. Those who had been wishing to see the Silmarils again were disappointed when they saw the jewels were now pixelated by Alaric. Their beauty ruined by the Keeper's act of censorship. Most were able to realise what was happening to them, and were thankful that Alaric had done what he had. Others thought the opposite, and stole a few resentful glances at the Keeper.

"Fun fact, Fingolfin's older half-brother, Feanor, was the one who made them." Alaric decided to add, seeming to almost spit out Feanor's name as if it was bitter poison he had accidently ingested.

"He must have been brilliant if he could make objects of such-such beauty." Salem whispered, being among those most deeply infatuated with the Silmarils. As she spoke she imagined herself wearing a iron crown bearing all three jewels, or even a necklace to be worn around her necklace. She would look so magnificent with them on her person.

"He was the greatest craftsman in all Arda. Huh, if only he possessed more positives than just that." The Keeper muttered loud enough for his guests to hear him.

"Whatever do you mean?" Port inquired, but he already guessed what might be up with this 'Feanor' fellow. He had known a good many people in his life, and some proved to be exceptional at something, while also having personalities that left much to be desired.

"Let me put it this way. Describing him as a colossal dick, would not do his personality justice." Leaving them with that, Alaric returned his attention to Nora.

 **Fingolfin was momentarily mesmerised by the sight of his half-brother's works. But, he steeled himself and shook off the glamour the Silmarils put cast upon. He had lost much because of the Silmarils, the High King would not lose himself to them as Feanor had.**

 **Looking up Morgoth, Fingolfin met the Great Enemy's eyes. They were daunting flames that pierced him with a deadly cold. A look of absolute surety of his greatness, and limitless contempt for the Elf that dared challenge him, could be seen in his eyes. Fingolfin did not cower under Morgoth's gaze, only return it with his fury and anguish.**

 **Looking past Morgoth's form, the High King saw the Dark Lord's lieutenants watching the two from the walls. Gothmog and the Balrogs were there. Man-like they appeared, though demonic, bearing great wings on their backs, and wreathed in dark smoke and flame. There too was Sauron, 'The Abhorred,' greatest of Morgoth's servants. Here he had taken the guise of a very tall, handsome man in black robes, whose cunning eyes shone with a terrible, smouldering light.**

 **Many others there were, but Fingolfin was here for Morgoth. No other were of any concern to him.**

"Damn, those guys are scary." Sun remarked at the sight of the winged men covered in smoke and fire. They appeared as though they came straight out of the deepest, and most fiery pit of Hell, in the monkey Faunus's opinion.

"Those fiery demons are 'Balrogs'. Maiar, lesser angels that serve the Valar, who were seduced and corrupted by Morgoth into serving his dark will."

Whilst everyone trembled at the idea of ever facing even one of these things. Cinder herself liked the look of the Balrogs, and wondered if Salem could fashion a new Grimm type in their image. She could imagine the terror that the pathetic people of the Kingdoms would feel if they saw even ten such Grimm descending upon them.

"What about him?" Salem was the one who questioned Alaric now, her eyes fixed on the dark robed man. She felt odd about him. Not knowing why or how, Salem believed that in some other universe, she was the one who stood in the man's place.

"That guy is Sauron, formerly the greatest of the Maiar. His love of order and perfection led to his downfall, and service to Morgoth. He is a master of deception, manipulation, and shape-shifting." Alaric warned them all, though there was what sounded like a hint of admiration for Sauron in his voice. "Here is one of his forms, and the one that brought the most doom to the world."

With a snap of his fingers, an image of a man appeared before the audience. He was so beautiful, so fair, that no one apart from Ozpin could believe any evil existed within him. Another snap, the image was gone in a blink of an eye, and Alaric spoke again.

"In time, he will become the next Dark Lord, though he will never be as powerful or cruel as Morgoth. But no less evil."

Intrigued, and highly disturbed by the evils that plagued this world, the audience wondered just how anyone could defy, let alone live, with the threat of such beings looming over them. But they knew the answer to that question. For they lived in a perilous world as well, and knew that hope for a better tomorrow, and the wish to protect those they loved, kept them going.

Well, most of them anyway.

 **Suddenly, without warning, Morgoth held his warhammer aloft and swung it down like a bolt of thunder at the High King of the Noldor.**

 **The warhammer fell and, with a mighty boom, struck where Fingolfin had stood. Sending dust and dirt flying everywhere. So terrible was the impact, a great pit had been created on the earth, which soon filled with smoke and fire.**

"Holy shit!" Yang yelled out, stunned by the speed and force that Morgoth struck his warhammer. As were everyone else.

"It is like an artillery shell went off there," Ironwood stated on the pit Morgoth created with his warhammer. He remained calm, one of the few who did so, but was just as shaken by Morgoth's attack like everyone else. Sure Huntsmen could pull off something similar, but not to the scale Morgoth had.

"Where's Ja-Fingolfin?!" Pyrrha questioned, worried for the other version of Jaune. No one could possibly survive getting hit by an blow such as that. If they had an Aura, there was a likelihood that they could, but an Aura-less person would have surely died instantly.

 **The Dark Lord's blow, though swift and frightfully strong, had not landed on its intended target. As Fingolfin had been able to leap away from the attack, dodging it by a hair's breadth. He took this chance to return Morgoth's attack with one of his own, trying to hew at one of the fallen Valar's legs. Miraculously, Fingolfin struck through, his Elvish blade cutting through the plate and slicing at Morgoth's immortal flesh.**

 **Immediately, Morgoth let out an excruciating cry of pain as he felt the sharp metal cut him. Like a collapsing mountain did he sound, and all who heard it, save Fingolfin fell on their faces in dismay.** **His cry turning to a furious roar, Morgoth stood tall and attempted to bring his warhammer down on Fingolfin a second time. Again did the Noldor Elf leap away from the attack, and land one of his own. And again, Morgoth, mightiest of all the Valar, howled in agony.**

 **Five more times did Morgoth attempt to crush Fingolfin under his warhammer. Five more times did Fingolfin evade him, and struck his people's greatest foe. Five more times was the air of the Northlands filled with the Dark Lord's pained roars.**

 **Through it all, Fingolfin's mind thought of the numerous grievances and dark deeds that Morgoth had caused his people, be it by his own hand, or as a result of his actions. First was the lies he spread among the Noldor that slowly eroded their friendship with the other Valar. Then there was the destruction of Two Trees of Valinor, from which the Silmarils derived their light. The murder of Finwe, Fingolfin's father, by Morgoth's himself.**

 **Many were the crimes and hurts Morgoth had done to the world. If the High King could not kill Morgoth, he could at least return a fraction of the pain he caused him and all those he had tormented.**

 **As their duel ground on, Fingolfin, though strong in body and spirit, grew tired. His mail, shield, and sword began to weigh on him. The High King's movements becoming slower with each passing second.**

 **Gripped as he was with the pain of his wounds, Morgoth did not tire, and he derived new strength from the rage he felt for Fingolfin. Finding his opportunity, the Dark Lord brought his shield down on Fingolfin. To the despair of most of the audience, and spiteful glee of the watchers atop Angband's walls, the High King was too slow and was struck on the head by his opponent's shield.**

 **Morgoth, who was confident that he had at last slain the elf, grew ever wrathful when he saw Fingolfin had only fallen to his knees and watched him rise back to his feet. Malice and hate driving him on, the Dark Lord struck Fingolfin with his shield two more times. His attacks struck the Noldor Elf, breaking Fingolfin's shield and ruining his armour. Yet on both occasions he still rose to his feet.**

 **Fingolfin made to take a step from his foe, but the land around them was rent and pitted, and he stumbled and fell to the ground. Too weak was he to get up. Too weak was he to stop the massive foot that fell on his neck.**

Most of the audience thought Fingolfin had been doing quite well against Morgoth, and were sure that the High king would have killed the Dark Lord, if Morgoth was not an immortal being. Seeing the skill at arms and valorous spirit that Fingolfin possessed, plenty had been rooting for the Elf. Seeing him get pinned under Morgoth's metal boot made the hearts and hopes of those supporting the High King plummet to the ground.

"Oh no!" Velvet yelped as she watched Fingolfin fall, and winced when she saw the Dark Lord place his foot on his neck.

 _"That has got hurt,"_ was written on Neo's sign. She sometimes stepped on her enemies whenever she knocked them to the ground, but seeing Morgoth do it made her wince as well.

"C'mon! Fight him off!" Yang, Sun, and a few others urged Fingolfin as they watched him desperately struggle against the great weight pressing down on him. They knew he could not hear him, and that it had already happened, but they could be forgiven.

"Looks like its over," Raven said in a matter-of-fact manner. She had seen Fingolfin's defeat coming, it was bound to happen, despite his bravery and the wounds he inflicted on the towering Vala.

"Hm. He was doing pretty well for someone without an Aura," Maria hummed to herself.

"Well, given Elves live forever unless slain in battle. They have all the time in the world to perfect a chosen craft. Accompanied by their greater strength when compared to ordinary Men, they can become the finest warriors on Arda if they choose to." The news that Elves could live forever shocked the audience, which Alaric quickly took note of. "Oh, I forgot to mention that did I? Probably should have told you earlier, shouldn't I? My bad!"

 **The weight of Morgoth's foot felt like hill had fallen on him, and the High King struggled to breath as the Valar above him gradually began to crush his throat. He was going to die here, there was no denying that. But some strength still remained in Fingolfin, and he would make sure the Dark Lord remembered their confrontation for the rest of his days. Taking up his sword one last time, Fingolfin hewed at Morgoth's foot, black smoking blood gushing instantly from the wound. So much in fact, that all the pits created by Grond were filled.**

 **Of all the wounds Fingolfin dealt to Morgoth, the pain of this last one struck him the deepest, and Morogth's cry of pain the loudest. Yet Fingolfin did see his enemy reel from his attack, nor hear him curse the Elf's name, for he was dead. That last act of defiance had taken all the life left within the most proud and valiant of the Noldor's Kings.**

A majority of the audience were saddened as they watched this alternate version of Jaune die in front of them. Others could not care less, and were already thinking of what universe they might see next.

Jaune took Fingolfin's death harder than anyone, for obvious reasons. Witnessing his kingly counterpart's demise caused Jaune to think of his own mortality, and how he would die. If he ever became a Huntsman as he currently aspired to be, would he die while out on a mission? Would he be slain as Fingolfin was? Under the boot of something or someone even stronger than him?

The young man's dark thoughts were broken when he felt a hand rest over his. Looking to who it was, Jaune saw it was Pyrrha. Finding it comforting, the two held hands, much to the amused looks of the few audience members who saw them.

 **To the horror of the audience, Morgoth, driven into a frenzy by Fingolfin's last strike, threw his weapon and shield aside and began to repeatedly beat the High King's body with his hands. Breaking and ruining his body as an act of petty revenge on Fingolfin.**

 **His rage still burning hot, Morgoth took** **the beaten and bloody corpse in his hand, and made to re-enter Angband. A noticeable limp in his step. The Dark Lord fully intent on feeding Fingolfin's body to his wolves. If he could not torment the Noldor Elf's spirit, for it had already departed for distant shores, he would at least have the satisfaction of defiling his mortal body.**

 **It was then that a great winged form came unexpected upon Morgoth. Faster than the mortal eye could track, the creature had slashed at Morgoth's face with it's talons, snatched up the High King's body, and darted from the place before any arrow could be loosed at it.**

 **The scene shifted to focus on the winged creature as it bore Fingolfin's body away from Angband. To the shock of all, it was a massive eagle, one that could easily bear a person on its back.**

"Oh my. This is rather out of the blue," Kali remarked while being surprisingly calm about the giant eagle's sudden appearance. Surprise or not, she had to admit that the eagle was a majestic creature.

"I calculate that eagle's wingspan is equal to 54.864 metres (180 feet)." Penny quickly calculated in the span of two seconds, rather slow for her if the Altesians who knew what she was had to be honest. While Penny's calculation proved itself insightful, it just increased the sneaking suspicion everyone in the audience had about her.

"How-" Taiyang was about to say, but was suddenly interrupted by Alaric.

"That is Thorondor. King of the Great Eagles, and messenger of Manwe, chief of the Valar. There's no need for you to know more." For some strange reason, Alaric had interrupted Taiyang in a louder voice than usual or probably necessary. It was almost as if he were intentionally trying to drown out whatever question Taiyang was going to ask.

 **The audience watched as Thorondor flew for a time, and finally rested Fingolfin's body atop a mountain that overlooked a beautiful city hidden in a mountain valley. They watched as a kingly Elf who greatly resembled Fingolfin, very likely a relation of his, weep bitter tears and build a high cairn over his body.**

 **Another scene change showed Rochallor, his hide bloody and bearing wounds inflicted upon him as he fled from Morgoth's wolves, return to Hithlum. Uneasily, Rochallor lay himself on the ground and rested his head on the floor. Elves rushed over to aid their High King's horse, but they were too late. The proud steed had died, his heart broken by the loss of his master.**

 **One last scene change occurred, this time in the dark underground chambers of Angband. Morgoth limped into his shadowy throneroom, his servants not daring to say a word or meet his gaze as he rested himself on his tall throne. The wounds Fingolfin inflicted upon him would never fully heal, the pain would remain with him until the end of Arda, not even the scar Thorondor left on his face. The Silmarils were still his, though, and the doom of the Noldor grew ever closer.**

 **With that, the screen faded to black.**

Seeing that it was done, the audience started to talk amongst themselves.

Plenty talked about the fight between Fingolfin and Morgoth, which several thought was cool but sad in the end. A few discussed the Silmarils, their beauty, and what they would do if they had them. Others talked about the world itself, how fascinating it was, and how they would like to see the more beautiful places of that world. For surely there was more to it than just doom and gloom.

"That was certainly... something." Jaune awkwardly remarked, the young man not knowing what exactly he should or could say. Watching yourself, or another version of you anyway, die onscreen can do that.

"Don't worry. Death is not the end for Elves. Most of the time, their spirits will depart for the Halls of Mandos, where their deeds in life are judged. If they have lived well, they are given a new body and permitted to live forever on Valinor. The land of the Valar." Alaric said, enlightening his audience on the Elves' fate after death. Which allowed a wave of relief wash over the audience who cared enough about this other version of Jaune.

"Will Mr Fingolfin be judged well?" Penny asked of Alaric, genuinely hoping that the High King be allowed to live again. Though she had not learnt much of what he had done in life, Penny was sure he was a nice person. Same went for many others in the audience.

Annoyingly, the Keeper remained silent, a mischevious look in his eye. Made worse by how he made a shushing gesture, and turned away from them all. Looks like that was one more question they would never have an answer to.

"Master. I believe I know where to find the individual/individuals behind Nora Valkyrie's current state." Talos informed the Keeper, quickly catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"I won't like it. But, please tell me." Alaric replied, his voice becoming weary and serious.

"The ingredients of the coffee Nora Valkyrie ingested came from several different universes. The mug, however, originated from one particular universe that is currently being recorded by _this_ Repository." Talos informed Alaric, piquing the black robed man's interest with this information. "If you are willing, I may go there and seek out the person/persons behind this."

"Get to it! When you find the perpetrators, bring them here _alive_. No disintegrations." Alaric said to his assisstant, pointing a finger at Talos's chest as if in warning.

"As you wish," Talos said as he bowed his head to the Keeper. "I'll be back."

With that, the bronze automaton dematerialised right in front of them. Heading off to parts unknown. Once he was gone, Alaric sighed and shook his head, before returning to his chair and started to rummage around his robes for the remote.

"You are going to try and return us to normal, right?" Salem asked Alaric. The tone of her voice was half-pleading, which was understandable given how she had been changed.

"Of course! First, we need to find who made Nora drink that coffee. Talos will bring them here, and, if possible, we will persuade them to help retsore you back to your normal state. That sound good?" The audience were not too sure of Alaric's plan. But considering that they had no clue as to what exactly was going on, or how to fix it, the audience played along for now. Who knows, maybe it'll work. "Alright then. Now, as we wait for Talos to return, allow me to show you a something that may prove... enlightening."

With that ominous end to his sentence, Alaric pulled out his remote and began to prepare the next universe.

* * *

 **Next _will_ be The Lost Fable. **

**I'll see you all when I next see you.**


End file.
